Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blazing Aura
by Will1231
Summary: This story follows Kamon, an amnesiac Riolu who wakes up in a strange world where Pokémon and human societies are separated. He is befriended by Sonchar, a timid Chimchar who dreams of joining an Exploration Team and exploring the world. Together, they join a local exploration guild where they form the team Blazing Aura. Based on my run of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
1. Prologue & Chapter 1

Prologue: A Storm at Sea

" **Wh-whoa! Are- Are you OK?**!"

"Let go! We need to go back!"

" **We can't, we have to keep going! We're almost th-** "

"No, we left her behind! We have to get her!"

" **There's nothing we can do. She stayed behind to make sure we could make it. We have to keep going. Just a little more and we'll- whoa, look out!** "

"What are you do- oof!"

FLASH

"Kamon! Are you alright?!"

" **…** "

"No, stay with me! You've gotta-"

As quickly as I was hit, my mind started to slip away. So too did my partner's hold on me as we finally made our escape from that terrible place. So many years, so many hardships, so many sacrifices, all would have been worth nothing if he couldn't make this last journey.

Of the two of us, he would be able to survive in this new world. He would be welcomed there. The same certainly couldn't be said for me. Throughout history, my kind had caused too many hardships for his, and we have been responsible for too many disasters on a worldwide scale. It only made sense that our societies were not meant to comingle, at least until the scales could be more properly balanced.

It was only fitting that he be the one to finish our work. He was always the stronger of the two of us, after all. Sure, my abilities may have helped us reach our destination. But I knew that once we were able to reach there, I would only be a hindrance, would only draw unwanted attention. And knowing his loyalty, there's no way he would have allowed me, or any of us, to stay behind and face the consequences for our actions alone.

But without me to worry about, he will be able to see this through to the end. He will keep going until our mission is completed. He will not stop until he frees us all from this nightmare.

Still, it would have been nice if I could have continued with him. The two of us have been through hell and back countless times. We've saved each other, we've struggled together, and against all odds we've survived for many years in that never-ending nightmare. I was even there when he met her, even if he wouldn't admit how he felt (or perhaps he never realized it? Despite being the most observant Pokémon I've known, there was always a slight, endearing naivety to him).

Unfortunately, my role ended after helping bring him to this new world. On the bright side, it seemed that I would be able to see this world with my own eyes. I was hoping I would be able to see the sun, but at least I could be sure that the darkness I had arrived to would only be temporary. And feeling the rain pour and the waves wash over me (apparently, I had arrived onto some sort of beach) was something I never would have thought to have experienced.

Maybe, if I was lucky, I would be able to hold on just a little longer to see this storm end and witness the sunrise. But the realist in me knew that such a miracle would not be likely. If my injuries wouldn't take me out first, I was sure the waves would carry me out to sea where I would be certain to meet my end. It seemed the former would be the case as I slowly felt myself drifting off to rest.

"Hey, what happened? Are you OK?!"

* * *

Chapter 1: My Personal Treasure

"Hey, what happened? Are you OK?!"

"…" I awoke to the feeling of someone nudging me.

"You should really get up... this, um, isn't the best place to take a nap."

" **Whu** -" Annoyed, I slapped their hand away as I slowly began to come to. I opened my eyes, only to immediately shut them from the sudden brightness. Slowly, I sat up, rubbing my eyes as they adjusted to this strange, intense light.

"You're alright! Phew, you had me really worried there."

As I slowly started to regain my vision, I took a minute to gaze at my surroundings. Looking down, I noticed that I had apparently fallen asleep on some sort of beach. I guess that would explain why my entire body felt wet. But what didn't make any sense was where this strange light was coming from. I shifted my gaze to the blue sky around me, following the light until I cast my sight onto a bright orb-looking object.

" **Agh…** " I grumbled, quickly shutting my eyes as I realized that orb was the cause of the brightness that I had awoken to.

"Haha, you must have really been out of it. I'm sure you should know that looking at the sun isn't really good for your eyes."

The sun? Wait, that was the sun? I had to stop myself from looking back into the sky, knowing I would only temporarily blind myself again, but I couldn't shake the excitement I felt at that realization. Apparently, my shock was obvious, as the strange Pokémon that had awoken me had a look that I could only take as uncertainty.

"Um… are you OK? No offense, but you're kind of weird. Sorry, but this obviously can't be the first time you've seen the sun before." Not sure how to answer, I simply shook my head. Smiling, he offered me a hand, which I took to pick myself up from the sand.

Dusting myself off, I took a moment to get a look at him. He was some sort of small primate with orange fur surrounding his face, belly, hands and feet, which were a light yellow. His head was accentuated with his hair that was in a swirl. In one of hands, he was carrying a small stone. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw a small flame behind his back for a moment, but judging by his calm demeanor, I guessed it had something to do with his species. Other than that last detail, what stood out the most were his large eyes and friendly smile he held as he patiently allowed me to get my bearings.

"So, now that you're up and OK, do you mind telling me what happened?"

" **Not sure. I honestly have no idea where I am or how I got here. I just kind of woke up…** "

As I spoke, I noticed that his friendly expression morphed into a look of confusion.

" **Is something the matter?** " I asked, hoping to figure out what was wrong.

A few seconds passed, and then he answered, "Um… I have no idea what you're saying. Are you not from around here? I'm not sure what language that is you're speaking."

" **What? I'm clearly speaking the same language as you. Are you playing some kind of prank on me?** "

His expression remained the same, or perhaps he was frowning even more. "Yeah, still don't understand a word." The strange Pokémon looked around, seemingly in thought of how to proceed. "But it seems like you can understand what I'm saying? At least, the way you're reacting to what I'm saying makes me think so. Can you understand me?"

" **Ye-** " I stopped, realizing he wouldn't understand me. Instead, I simply nodded.

"OK, that's good. So, you can understand me, but for whatever reason, can't speak my language. Can you at least tell me your name? My name's Sonchar."

I was about to answer, only to realize I wasn't sure. Actually, now that I had a moment to think, I realized that I couldn't remember anything. Where was I? Who was I? What happened that caused me to wake up in this strange place with no memory of who I was? Sonchar seemed to notice my panic and grabbed hold of one of my shoulders to try to steady me.

"Easy there, take it easy. Take a deep breath, alright?"

I did as he said, slowly taking in some air and then exhaling.

"Good, good." He released his grip, and backed up a few steps to give me some space. "Sorry if I startled you, but… you do have a name, right?" he asked, giving a concerned expression that made me think he was unsure if he should ask.

" **Um…** " Inhaling another breath, I took a moment to think. I have a name, I'm sure of it. After a moment, something came to my head, and I answered, " **Kamon**."

"Kamon? Your name's Kamon?"

I nodded a bit more enthusiastically. At least he could understand my name if nothing else. That brought me a little relief, even though my communication was still limited to answering yes or no questions and visual gestures.

"Nice to meet you, Kamon." His friendly demeanor returned, and I couldn't help but feel a little reassured. "Well, even if I can't understand you, you don't seem like a mean Pokémon."

 _What?_

"Actually, now that I think about it, you're a Riolu aren't you? We really don't see many of you around here, which probably explains the language barrier? Strange, I'd figure you'd at least be able to speak a little, since you seem to understand me well enough. But it's pretty awesome to meet one of you in person!"

That little relief I felt was gone and panic took over completely. Now that I thought about it, Sonchar was clearly a rather small Pokémon, but we were nearly eye level with each other, with maybe me being just a tad taller. That certainly wasn't right, I should be towering over him! Looking at myself, I finally noticed that my arms were covered in a blue fur, my hands were canine-like paws, and there was a strange, silver bump over the back of my wrist.

"Huh? I didn't offend you, did I? I'm sorry! I shouldn't have been so forward about that! I didn't mean anything by it!"

I ran over to the water from the ocean (or was it a lake? Gah, where the hell was I?) to hopefully get a better look at myself. Hanging from the side of my head were two black appendages that at first glance I assumed were ears. However, looking at the top of my head, I saw two pointy spikes that could also have been ears, or perhaps they were horns? Getting a look at my face, I saw that my nose and mouth were now a small muzzle. My eyes had a bright iris that I couldn't quite make out from the reflection, but they appeared to be surrounded by what looked to be a dark mask. Unsure if that was an actual part of me or some sort of a disguise, I placed one of my hand- or rather, paws over it, only to confirm that it was indeed part of my face.

Deep breaths. That was all I could do to stop myself from completely breaking down in front of Sonchar. In through the nose (or should I be calling it a snout? Ugh…), out through the mouth. OK, maybe this wouldn't be too awful. Whatever a Riolu was, it was clearly part of the canine class. Fortunately, they happened to be bipedal (unless I was a special case in that regard), so it wouldn't be too difficult to adjust to moving. The tail would definitely take some getting used to, along with my new feet that made me feel like I was constantly standing on my tippy toes. I suppose I should have also been freaking out about the fact that I was technically naked, but with the fur covering me, and of course everything else already on my mind, that concern was overshadowed.

Hearing squishy footsteps, I tried to compose myself before turning around to see Sonchar shifting uncomfortably where he stood.

"Hey, um, I realize you're going through… something right now, and I want to help you. But the water is getting a little uncomfortable here for me. Do you think we could move over to a dry spot on the beach?"

Recalling the flame I saw earlier, I felt stupid for not realizing that he obviously was a fire type. I opened my mouth to apologize, only to stop as I knew he wouldn't understand. Instead, I gave what I hoped was an apologetic expression and quickly walked to the part of the beach beyond the waves' reach. He smiled and followed with quick but delicate steps, probably to avoid having any of the water splash on to him.

"That's much better," Sonchar said as he shook the water from his feet. "Sorry. As much as I love coming to the beach, I can't really go into the water for very long. Usually, I can maybe soak my feet for a minute before it starts to make me shiver."

All I could do was nod in understanding. I certainly wouldn't want this Pokémon to hurt himself on account of my own freak-out.

"So, um…" he said, seemingly unsure if he should say what he wanted to. "I couldn't help but notice you began to, uh, panic after I mentioned that you're a Riolu. Was it… Was that news to you? Sorry, I know how that sounds… I'm not trying to come off as sarcastic or anything. But, well, was it?"

My eyes shifted to the ground below me, the silence affirming his concern.

"I see… Yeah, a lot of strange stuff has been going on lately, so I guess this isn't really too odd."

I looked back up at him, unsure as to what he was referring.

"You know, since the whole, what was it called… 'distortion' thing that's been happening in places everywhere, a lot of Pokémon have been losing their reasoning. And others have been taking advantage of chaos to cause trouble."

Huh. I couldn't explain what, but I was sure there was a recollection forming in my mind. It certainly had to do with some sort of distortion, but of what? Realizing that there was a vague trigger to my memory, I tried to focus on it in hopes that I could draw out more.

Before I could reach that memory, I was startled out of my thoughts to the sound of Sonchar gasping as he fell to the ground, the stone rolling out of his grasp. Behind him were two other Pokémon in the air above him. One was a small, blue and purple bat who had no eyes who kept himself in the air through many quick flaps of his wings. The other was what I could only guess was a purple, floating ball with many pores that exuded some sort of gas, which left a very strong and toxic smell.

Though they weren't the most imposing Pokémon in terms of stature, each of them held a menacing look as they smirked at the victim in front of them.

"Whoa ho, I do beg your pardon," the crater-ridden orb taunted. Judging by the size of these two, I guessed he was the one that took down Sonchar.

"Whuh…" Sonchar started as he picked himself up. "What was that for? What's the big idea?"

"Heh, what do you think, kid?" the other, who I identified was a Zubat, chimed in as he flew toward Sonchar, who immediately began to back-step. "We'll be taking this." In a flash, the bat lowered himself to the stone by two long tendrils from his bottom.

"Wh-what? That- that's my personal treasure! Please, give it back!" Sonchar whimpered as the two bullies mugged him.

"Oh ho, a treasure, you say?" the orb responded. "Here I thought it was just gonna be a little knick-knack. Maybe we can get a few Poké for this little thing, eh?"

"What?" Sonchar gasped, realizing his mistake in mentioning the object's value.

"What, not gonna make a move to get it back?" the Zubat attempted to goad him. How he seemed to be facing Sonchar's eyes without any of his own, I couldn't figure out. "There's even two of you there. Don't tell me you're too much of a coward to fight us back?"

Sonchar could only whimper in response.

"Heh, he's not even worth our time to beat up. Let's get out of here, Cross."

"Hoho, better hope we don't run into you again, kiddies. Take care." The Zubat and Cross fluttered away after claiming their prize. They headed toward a large cavern that I assumed was their base of operations.

"They took…" My attention turned back to Sonchar, who looked to be doing about as well as I was a few minutes ago. "They took my relic fragment… It's the only treasure I had…" I could see tears start to form in his eyes as he held his arms in his hands in an attempt to comfort himself.

Looking at the sight before me, all I could think of was "why didn't I do something?" This Pokémon noticed me lying unconscious and made sure I was alright, even staying around and trying to calm me down as I was in the midst of a panic attack. He even almost injured himself standing by me over the water as I could only look at my reflection in fear and self-pity, and probably wouldn't have left until I came with him. And what did I do as these two thugs knocked him down and stole his precious item?

"I- I'm sorry you have to see this…" he sniffed, embarrassed by how pitiful he felt. "I-I'll be fine, I just…"

" _No, you have nothing to apologize for_ ," I glared in disgust, at those thugs and myself. His expression morphed into one of shock as he caught my gaze. Shaking my head, I realized my expression must have scared him or made him think it was directed at him. Shifting to a more apologetic face, I grabbed him by one of his arms, ignoring his yelp as I pulled him with me toward the cave.

I messed up by not stepping up to protect him, but I was going to make sure I made up for that mistake. It was the least that I could do to repay the concern and kindness he showed without any expectation in return. It probably wasn't the best idea to bring him along, since it didn't seem as if he could fight very well on his own. But I didn't want to risk not being able to find him as soon as I completed my mission. As long as he stayed in the back away from the danger, he would be fine, I was sure of it. And I was damn sure that I was going to get back that item they took, whatever it was, and hurt those two scumbags in the process.

* * *

Author's Notes

If you haven't guessed, the bold text represents whenever Kamon attempts to speak his human language. Kamon's name is taken from one of the names supplied in Pokémon Silver. One thing you'll realize about me is that I am terribly uncreative with names.


	2. Beach Cave

Chapter 2: Beach Cave

We arrived at the cavern where those two thugs were hiding. Sonchar tried to stop me from bringing us in, but I was too focused on catching up to them that I paid it no mind. After all, I was confident that I would be able to keep him safe until we reached the thieves, knocked them senseless, and returned his item. What I didn't account for was as soon as we entered the cave, the opening we entered through sealed up, a wall now blocking our escape.

Instantly, I released my grip on Sonchar's arm and felt around the wall for some sort of way to open it.

"We're in-" Sonchar started as he caught his breath. "We're inside a mystery dungeon."

" _A what?_ "

For some reason, Sonchar jumped, but then continued. "The doorway sealed behind us as we entered. The only way we can get out is to get to the end."

Great. What was I going to do now? It wasn't enough that I ungratefully watched as this poor Pokémon was mugged by a pair of thieves. In an attempt to fix that mistake, I only ended up bringing him into a place where he would be in even more danger. All I could do was clench my fists in anger at my stupidity, sigh, and offer a look of apology. It seemed expressions were all I was good for at the moment.

"Hey, it'll be fine. It's not a long dungeon. And the aggressive Pokémon in the area are pretty weak, too. I've gone through here a few times before when I was training for something."

Of course he would be trying to reassure me despite me being the one responsible for his current predicament. I didn't know much about this world, but I could already tell that he was too good for it. Were I an awful person-turned-Pokémon, I would certainly find some way to take advantage of that. Then again, for all I knew, I could have been a terrible person, and this was my punishment: transformed into a strange creature and dropped into a strange world with no memories and no ability to survive on my own.

"So, um," Sonchar said, snapping me out of my melodrama. "How are you doing that?"

'What?' I thought, unsure of what he was asking.

"Talking to me."

I raised an eyebrow at his claim.

"I mean, I heard some sort of voice in my head a couple times just now, so I'm guessing that was you. Why didn't you do it before?"

I wasn't quite sure how to respond. Surely, if I was speaking to him, I would realize it, right? It would certainly be more efficient than trying to get every point across through some sort of facial expression or body gesture. For instance, the shrug that I was able to give in response to his accusation.

"Maybe… I was just hearing things," he said with a hand skeptically held under his chin. "Well, we should get moving. We're not going to get anywhere standing around here. And maybe we'll be able to get my relic fragment back from those goons after all, right?"

Seeing his cheery smile return, I took a breath and nodded. If he was able to muster up some confidence after what had been forced on him, the least I could do was keep my wits about me to get us through it. Besides, though I wasn't sure why, I felt that I would be able to protect him, and that hadn't changed yet.

Pushing doubt to the back of my mind, I took lead and headed to a corridor to hopefully take us toward the exit.

Now that I had time to take in the scenery, it was actually rather beautiful. The brightness and colorfulness of the surfaces alone stood out, the walls of the cave being a silvery-blue and the earth below a bright shade of pink. There were also many pools of water and streams running through the plateaus. Strangely, I felt as if the water should symbolize a feeling of hopelessness, but here, they seemed to provide a home to all the Pokémon in the area, many of which would cast glances at us as we passed by them. Sonchar explained a little bit about each of them we crossed, helping me learn their names and some of their evolutions.

One such species was a blue slug that had a green underbelly and yellow trim around the shell. I learned from Sonchar that these were called Shellos, and despite their friendly resting face, they were the most territorial of the Pokémon of the area. A few would slither over the ground or swim toward us, attempting to fling mud into our faces to blind us. I would have tried to simply avoid their attacks and move along, since we were intruding their territory. However, when one of the rowdier ones conjured up a ball of water and fired it toward Sonchar, narrowly missing as the evasive Chimchar jumped away, that passiveness wore off. I responded by dashing toward the mollusk with a speed I never knew I possessed, bashing its head with my forearm. The slug could only hiss in anger as it backed off, returning to the water and letting it carry it away.

The threat dealt with, I looked over to Sonchar to make sure he wasn't hurt. "I'm alright, it didn't touch me," he chirped proudly. Grinning, I resumed our trek, Sonchar continuing to stay close behind me.

We made our way through the next corridor, and I noticed a strange light at the end of it. Perhaps we made it to the end? I jogged through in anticipation, only to find my vision had faded to black for a moment, and the two of us were suddenly in the middle of another room of the cave. " _What just happened?!_ " I shouted internally, frantically looking around for some sort of clue.

"It's alright, we're in another floor," Sonchar said, grabbing hold of my shoulder in attempt to calm me again. "That's another weird thing about these places. Each 'floor' has an exit somewhere that'll take us to the next one. We've only gotta get through a couple more until we reach the end."

It took a moment, but I was able to get ahold of myself after another deep breath. It seemed as if that was going to be a common thing for me for the foreseeable future.

"Sorry, I guess I shoulda warned you after seeing you kinda freak out when we came in here. I'll make sure you know when we're about to hit the next floor."

Nodding, I continued on a bit more nervously than before. I approached a nearby pool of water, hoping a drink would help relax me. I looked toward Sonchar, back to the water, and then with a questioning glance back to him, hoping he would understand what I was trying to ask.

"It should be safe to take a drink, if that's what you're wondering," he assured me.

Gratefully, I kneeled down, cupping my hands together and bringing some water to my mouth. I had to stop myself from dunking my entire head in, not wanting Sonchar to worry more for my well-being. It was a good thing I didn't, because I wouldn't have heard Sonchar warn me about the Shellder attempting to clamp itself onto my muzzle.

"Look out!" he shouted, pushing me aside.

Catching myself, I rolled and quickly brought myself up to take care of the oyster, only to stop as I saw Sonchar scratch the top of its shell. Though I doubt the swipe was able to damage its protective armor too much, it seemed to be enough to send it scurrying back into the water like the Shellos before.

"Looks like it was my turn to help you!" Sonchar grinned cheekily, holding the back of his head with one hand coyly.

Shaking my head, I chuckled and motioned for us to keep going. Somehow, that whole incident managed to help calm me down more than I would have imagined. Perhaps, I wasn't giving the Chimchar enough credit. I assumed after the Zubat and floating ball of gas tormented him that he wouldn't be able to hold his own in this type of a situation. But up until this point, he seemed to know what he was doing much more than I did. Even though he had an obvious natural disadvantage against these Pokémon, he seemed to be in his element, and was tougher than he first let on. Or, maybe he was trying to do the same as I hoped to by projecting more confidence to help keep our spirits up.

Whatever the case was, we made our way to the next "doorway." Sonchar alerted me just before we reached it, but I knew what I was getting into after that last experience (though, I still appreciated the gesture). Bracing myself, I entered alongside him, arriving in another large room once my vision faded and returned once again. We handled the next two floors just as well as the previous two, getting into a few scuffles here and there, but coming out of them no worse for wear. It seemed the feral Pokémon of the area were indeed rather on the weak side, as none of them posed any real threat to either of us despite their advantages against my companion.

Along the way, we stumbled across a few different items on the ground, and Sonchar took some time to explain them to me. There were a few stones called Geopebbles that are apparently useful projectiles for Pokémon that could only fight up close. We also saw some sort of seed that upon eating it, the user would breathe an explosive breath on whoever was in front of them. We decided that would likely be more dangerous to ourselves and passed it. What we did decide to hold onto was a small, blue berry, what they called an Oran Berry, which would heal small wounds when eaten. Since I was keeping the lead, Sonchar decided he would be the one to carry it and be on the ready if either of us took any serious damage.

Eventually, we reached one final passage that took us to a much smaller room. Stopping in my tracks, I held my hand out in front of Sonchar. I noticed our two "friends" resting by the end of the room facing a small pond that had a few jagged rocks sticking out from it.

"Looks like we finally found them," Sonchar whispered to me, not wanting to alert the muggers to our presence. "What should we do?" he asked, suddenly unsure of himself.

Stepping forward, I made my way toward them, making sure I got their attention with my steps since shouting to them was obviously out of the question, unless I wanted to look like a crazy person.

"Eh?" the Zubat said as they turned toward us. "Wasn't expecting to see you two cowards here."

Sonchar slowly made his way up to me. I could sense his timidity as I stared down the bat.

"I thought you idiots would have learned your lesson already, whoa-ho-ho!" the plump one added. Whatever lesson he was referring to, I wasn't sure, since they were the ones who chose to attack Sonchar behind his back, but I guessed it was more important to sound cool and imposing than to make sense.

"Egh…" Sonchar slowly gathered his courage and stepped up to the two, before shouting, "Give… give me back what you stole! That's my personal treasure!"

"Wait, so this thing is more valuable than it looks?" the Zubat asked, "looking" toward the stone behind them. "I thought it was just some piece of junk that someone scribbled on. I was actually just gonna throw it into the pond here."

"What?!"

"But if it's really worth something…" the plumper one, Cross if I recall, chimed in. "Maybe we can sell it back to you? How does 500 Poké sound? Whoa-ho-ho…"

"I… I don't have any money…" Sonchar looked down sadly. "I can't pay you anything…"

"Well, that's too bad, heh heh. We could always sell it, then. Who knows? We might be able to fetch a better price, and you can always buy it back sometime in the future."

"Whoa-ho, you're giving them too much credit, Fang." Their laughs were really beginning to irritate me. "You think these little wimps will ever amount to anything?"

"Heh, yeah, you're right. Oh well. Too bad, wimps. Guess you won't be getting this back anytime soon."

"Egh…" Sonchar whimpered, feeling hopeless in the situation he was in.

Returning the gesture he gave earlier, I placed a hand on the back of his shoulder looking him in the eye as he turned to me. " _We can do this,_ " I was hoping my eyes told him. He held his gaze with a bit of uncertainty, and then took in a deep breath. I could feel the heat from his exhale, after which he nodded resolutely. With Sonchar seeming to understand what I was trying say, the two of us turned back to the terribly named villains before us.

"Oh ho ho, look who's suddenly grown a spine!"

"Y-you're one to talk, Koffing!" Sonchar shouted.

"Heh heh!" the Zubat cackled at his comrade's frustration. "He has a point there, Cross _bones_. You don't even have any-"

"Sh-shut up! Whose side are you on here?" the Koffing shouted, obviously flustered.

"Come on! You know that was a good one!"

"Ergh, let's just take care of them already."

"Heh heh, alright fine. Let's get this over with."

"Get ready, Kamon!" Sonchar commanded, getting into a battle stance. "We've gotta fight them!"

No need to tell me twice.

* * *

Author's Notes

We've come to my first cliffhanger! As you noticed, this chapter explains the basics of how Mystery Dungeons function in the world. I lampshaded a lot of gameplay functions that don't really make a whole lot of sense, and yet nobody seems to question. More details will be explained at an appropriate point in the future. And for anyone who may have been confused about Kamon's melodramatic reaction to the dungeons...

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE GAME PLOT

As those who have played the game know, when you go to the future, you travel through multiple Mystery Dungeons in order to escape back to the present timeline. But when you think about it, time was completely stopped and the entire world was literally frozen in place. As such, I don't see the MD's still being "functional" in that case. Therefore, in my story's canon, Mystery Dungeons will be a completely new experience for our ignorant protagonist.


	3. Babies' First Boss Fight

Chapter 3: Baby's First Boss Fight

"Blind 'em," Fang ordered, floating a few paces behind his toxic comrade.

"Already ahead of you," Crossbones replied as he inhaled deeply, expanding his plumpness more than I thought possible. "Hold your breath!"

As he exhaled, the Koffing sent forth a dark cloud of smoke at Sonchar and me, causing the two of us to cough as we shielded our eyes.

"Can't… breath…" Sonchar tried to get out as he wheezed.

 _Swish._

I felt a stinging slice across my left arm, followed by a few "heh heh's" from the Zubat. It seemed not having to rely on sight to get around made it easier for the bat to pinpoint us through the smoke.

"Ah!" Sonchar screamed as a he took a similar hit.

"Heh heh, you wimps ready to call it quits?" Fang taunted.

"N-no!" Sonchar answered. "You haven't beat us yet…"

"Good! Wouldn't be fun if you went down already, would it!" Gasping as another wing sliced my back, I caught myself on a knee.

These two were quite skilled in fighting dirty, so I would have to try to catch them off guard. I held still, listening to his wing movements. As I heard him flying toward Sonchar, I intercepted, jumping forth and catching the bat, pinning him to the ground.

"Eek!" the Zubat screeched, making me wince at the shrillness of its scream.

Though I held firm, I was knocked aside as Cross flung his body into me and released my hold on his comrade. As I rolled, I pushed myself back up to my feet. With the smoke starting to clear, I was able to catch the Koffing attempting to follow up. I sidestepped his tackle, and then delivered a blow to his back, knocking him onto the ground as he bounced away.

"Nice job, Kamon!" Sonchar cheered. In his excitement, he didn't see Fang latching onto his back, the bat sinking his teeth into his neck. "AAAGH!" I made a mad dash toward my companion to free him from Fang's clutches. However, once I got close to the two, the Zubat took notice, releasing his teeth from Sonchar and sending a shrill shriek in my direction.

Stumbling forward, I clutched my ears with my hands and fell to my knees. The high-pitched scream tore through my eardrums, making my head feel like it was going to explode. The room around me began to spin, causing me to shut my eyes as tightly as I could. Futilely, I tried shouting, breathing, banging my fists on the ground as hard as I could, anything to distract myself from the pressure that I felt building up in me. It was all I could do not to bash my own head into the ground to make the pain go away.

Through some miracle, the ringing began to fade, and the world around me slowly started to settle. Taking a breath, I saw Sonchar over me saying something I for the life of me could not make out. I could only guess he was trying to see if I was alright, and honestly, I wasn't even sure. Reaching out to an offered hand, I brought myself back up to my feet with Sonchar's help.

I caught a whiff of something burning and wondered if my sense of smell was also affected from that attack. That thought was immediately denied as I looked past Sonchar and saw poor, little Fang all but flopping on the ground as he desperately made his way to the pool of water.

"I-I didn't mean to!" Sonchar whimpered. "H-he was hurting you, s-so I-I had to stop him! I didn't mean to burn him that much!" So, he used a fire attack, it seemed? Part of me was impressed that he managed to bring our foe down so decisively. But even though the Zubat clearly deserved it, Sonchar still couldn't help but feel remorse for what he had done. I couldn't say I felt the same.

As I was about to attempt to soothe Sonchar and let him know he had done nothing wrong, I was blindsided by another tackle from Crossbones.

"Kamo-" Sonchar began to cry, but was silenced as a tar-like substance was splashed into his face. In a panic, the Chimchar rubbed his eyes, trying his best to stop the stinging sensation he was feeling.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to Fang!" Cross shouted in self-righteous fury. "Now, stay down, you little punk, and I'll make this quick, whoa-ho!"

" _I've had enough of these scumbags!_ " I shouted internally, picking myself up and making one last charge at the Koffing. With all the force I had, I slammed my palm into the center of his back, sending him flying off into the side of one of the boulders sticking out of the pond. Slowly, the Koffing slid from where he was nearly stuck until he was floating over the top of the water.

"Owowow…"

As I went to retrieve the relic fragment, I was almost disappointed to hear the two muggers groaning in pain. Perhaps it was for the best, though, since it wouldn't be worth traumatizing Sonchar and having him fear me just to get back at those two worthless creatures.

Speaking of Sonchar, he was still sitting on the sand clutching his face from the smog attack. Placing a paw on his shoulder, I helped him up and gently guided him over to the water. I stopped myself when I remembered that water made him uncomfortable, but I had to do something to help him before he was permanently blinded.

" _Please trust me,_ " I pleaded, hoping Sonchar would not panic.

"It's OK, Kamon," Sonchar said. "I know I have to wash this out, don't I?"

I nodded, remembered he couldn't see me, and wanted to smack my own face. Instead, I slowly helped him down so he could bring some water to his face and wash the sludge from his eyes. I kept watch over the muggers, making sure they wouldn't try anything else while Sonchar was tending to himself.

"Eh heh…" Fang grunted as he and Cross made their way to the dry sand. "Yo-you punks got lucky…"

"Ho… ho… Yeah…" Koffing wheezed. "N-next time… we won't un… underestimate you…"

"You better watch your backs…"

"Because Team Skull always… always comes out on top, whoa ho ho!"

"See ya wimps later!"

If they had legs, the two of them would be limping away. Instead, they slowly drifted out of the cave, almost falling to the ground on multiple occasions. With a satisfied huff, I returned my attention to my companion, who managed to open his eyes and slowly regain his sight.

"We did it, huh?" he asked, perhaps in disbelief.

With a smirk, I held out my hand, showing him his relic fragment as proof of our victory.

"My relic…" Sonchar stopped as relieved tears now clouded his eyes. "Th-thank you!"

" **Whoa!** " I yelped as he suddenly wrapped his arms around me in gratitude. Unsure of what to do, I patted his back with one hand while I made sure not to drop the fragment in the other.

"Oh, sorry," Sonchar said, releasing his hold on me and looking awkwardly onto the ground. "Thank you. It really means a lot that you went through to help me here. Especially since I'm sure you got hurt too when we were fighting them."

He had nothing to thank me for. It was at least partially my fault that he was in this situation, so I owed it to him to see him through it. And besides, after he was there for me, all I could think was, " _It was the least I could do._ "

Sonchar looked back up me, taking the relic fragment I held out to him. "We should get out of here. We've reached the end, so all we've gotta do now is head through that doorway we came in from."

Nodding in understanding, I turned to make my way toward the exit, ready to leave this place behind me.

"Wait," Sonchar halted. "Those guys were pretty banged up, huh? I think we should give them some time to get away before we head back."

As much as I wanted to leave, that was a good point. I certainly didn't feel like running into them again anytime soon.

"And um," Sonchar hesitated. "I know I asked before, but…"

I continued to give him my attention as he thought about what he was going to ask.

"You _were_ talking to me, weren't you."

The way he said it made it sound like more of a confirmation than a question. But once again, I didn't know what he was talking about. I haven't said a single word other than my name. Unless... maybe I was saying something and didn't remember when Fang was using that Supersonic on me? No, that couldn't be it. Nothing like that happened the first time he asked me.

"So, uh, like before… I heard a voice say 'we can do this.' Just before we fought those two guys."

I recalled thinking that earlier.

"And the first time I thought I heard you, I think you were saying something like 'you have nothing to apologize for.'"

My eyes widened in recognition. I was thinking that before bringing him to the cave, but how did he hear it?

"There were a couple other things here and there, too. I thought I was just hearing voices, but after the last one, I knew that wasn't the case. After you said, something like, 'I'm sick of these scumbags,' I knew it wasn't just me going crazy."

It was actually 'I've had enough of' instead of 'I'm sick of,' but I felt this wasn't the time for semantics.

"So, what I don't get is why you acted so confused when I brought it up the first time? And now, too, I guess. You still look like you think I'm crazy or something…"

" _No, that's not it!_ " I desperately wanted to say.

"Then, why did you act so confused?"

Wait, did he hear that? Did… did I have some sort of telepathy? Did that have something to do with my transformation into a Riolu? Or was it an ability I had while I was still a human? So many questions formed in my mind, and I had no way of getting any answers.

"If it was a secret, that's fine," Sonchar said, bringing me back from my thoughts. "I guess in the situation, you probably panicked and accidentally revealed that, huh? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this if you don't want me to."

Sonchar almost looked hurt at what he was inferring from my silence. I didn't want him to think that I was trying to keep something from him. " _It's not that at all. I just wanted you to know what I was thinking at those moments,_ " I said. " _Please believe me._ "

"Wait, so… you-you don't realize when you're doing it, and it just… sort of happens?"

I nodded affirmatively.

"Wow…" Sonchar took a breath. I didn't know if he believed what I was telling him, but he did say that strange things have been happening. Hopefully, this wasn't out of the realm of possibility. "So, now that you know you can do this… do you think you can try to keep doing it?"

Thinking hard, I tried to capture whatever I was feeling at the times I "spoke" to him. As I said, during those times, I just really wanted him to know what I was unable to say. I wanted him to know that he had nothing to apologize for when he was breaking down from Fang and Crossbones humiliating him. I wanted to let him know that he and I were strong enough to face them and take back what they stole from him. And apparently, I really wanted to let him know what I thought of their stupid faces.

And at this moment, there was a lot more I wanted to say to him.

" _Yes… I think I can._ "

* * *

Author's Notes

Here we have the first major fight in the story. I made Team Skull a little more dangerous than they usually are, since they're complete pushovers in the game. Their names are also a bit lame and sound like the cliché wannabe tough guys, but in fairness, that is kind of what they are. Anyway, I'm hoping I did OK when describing the events of the battle. We did have each of them using their first STAB moves, and Kamon learned that he now has a means of communication, so yay progress!

The next few chapters are going to contain a lot of dialogue and a little bit of world building, as the duo will start to get to know each other a little and Kamon will begin to learn about the world he fell into. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and if you have any comments or criticisms, please feel free to share!


	4. Where Will You Go from Here?

Sonchar and I walked out of the cave in a companionable silence. Each of us had a lot on our minds, but also had a lot to process after the last few hours. As the two of us returned to the beach, I was once again caught off guard by the brightness and warmth of the world outside. At least it appeared to be approaching evening time as the harshness of the sun's gaze was less severe than when I awoke.

I followed the Chimchar to a large, almost flat boulder, which he climbed and sat upon. Following his lead, I took a seat next to him.

" _So, what's the story with that relic fragment?_ " I asked as I curiously gazed at the item we fought and journeyed to retrieve.

"Honestly," Sonchar began, placing the stone between us, "I couldn't really tell you. I, uh, just happened to stumble upon it one day."

" _Really? But you said it was a precious treasure?_ " I responded, a bit surprised by his nonchalant answer.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, haha," Sonchar chuckled nervously. "It's true that it's my only real treasure. But, well…"

I waited patiently as he took some time to figure out how he was going to explain.

"I guess I've always been interested in lore and stories of legends, and things like that. Ever since I was little-" Sonchar caught my raised brow and corrected himself, "Well, OK, littl **er** , though you're not one to talk, buddy."

He stuck his tongue out in mock annoyance, which I playfully chuckled at.

"Anyway, I've always dreamed of exploring many places in this world; uncovering hidden troves full of treasure and strange relics… uncharted territories veiled in darkness… It would be amazing to make such a historic discovery!"

This was certainly a new side to him. I could see the longing in his eyes as he spoke, ambitious yet with an innocent excitement as he pondered the possibilities of his dream.

"Hahah, I get a little excited when I think about it. But as I said, one day, I stumbled on my relic fragment as I was exploring in a cave close by here. I, um, wasn't really prepared for the Pokémon that made their home there. They weren't quite as weak as the ones we dealt with in the beach cave."

" _You weren't harmed when you went in there, were you?_ "

"Well… let's just say I became pretty good at dodging water guns during my visit there? Heheh…"

" _And here I thought you would be the smart one of the two of us,_ " I teased.

"Hey! Says the guy that got himself trapped in a dungeon chasing down two thugs?"

" _Er… at least it worked out in the end?_ " I answered, chuckling despite the embarrassment.

"Haha, you're right. Anyway, I was probably in there for a couple days until a Rescue Team came and helped me out of there."

" _A 'Rescue Team?_ '"

"Yeah, they basically come and save inexperienced explorers, like me I guess, from mystery dungeons and other places like that. Just before they found me, though, I climbed onto a plateau in the cave where I could get away from all the aggressive Pokémon. I found the relic fragment sitting up there after I climbed up. I was gonna hold onto it to use as a weapon if anything got near me, until I got a look at the top of it. Here, take a look."

Sonchar handed me the stone, and I could see that there was some strange pattern that I couldn't even begin to describe. It was quite mesmerizing to look at, but I had no idea what it was supposed to be.

" _Do you know what this is?_ " I asked.

"No…" Sonchar looked disappointed to have to answer that. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before. I guess because of that, I always figured that it must be a piece of some sort of puzzle, or maybe a keystone that will unlock a mysterious door, or something like that, you know?"

I couldn't help but admire his optimism. Despite having no idea what this stone was, he was convinced that it held some significance or purpose he could never guess. The realist in me couldn't help but think it could just be a rock that some children inscribed as they were playing, or maybe some sort of decorative ornament. But I didn't have it in me to crush Sonchar's dream with my own pessimism. Jeez, was I this much of a downer before all this?

"So anyway," Sonchar said, interrupting my wandering thoughts. "What about you, Kamon?"

Hmm?

"We talked a bit about me and my goals. So, what about you?"

That was a good question. I still had no clue who I was or where I came from. What could I possibly say to answer him?

"Did you, uh, not want to talk about it?" Sonchar asked, disappointment showing on his face.

I did want to talk, but what was there to talk about?

"Well, what about when I found you? When you were lying unconscious, I mean…" he paused, clearly hesitant to continue his question, but standing firm (or sitting firm, I guess). "Do you mind if I asked what happened to you? It's not every day you see somebody out cold in the middle of a beach, or even a Riolu for that matter."

I looked down, wondering just what I should say. Would he believe anything I had to say? He did seem to be pretty naïve, but he certainly wasn't just going to believe anything I told him, would he? How would I even explain how I knew what I knew? If my memory was all but gone, how would I know what my name was and the fact that I shouldn't look like I do? How did I understand everything he and those two from before were saying, even though I was apparently speaking a different language than them? And how the hell did all that fighting I did back in that cave feel so natural to me? Even with all I had forgotten, everything still seemed so outlandish to myself, let alone whatever Sonchar would think.

"Sorry, I was only asking because I was concerned for you," Sonchar sighed. I hated how hurt he would look whenever he thought I was trying to hold something back. "I won't pry anymore if you don't want me-"

" _Wait, please,_ " I interrupted. " _It's not that I don't want to tell you anything. It's just… I don't know if you would believe what I had to say._ "

"What do you mean?" Sonchar asked, interest clearly piqued.

" _You asked me why you found me lying unconscious here. The answer is, I don't know. No matter how much I try, I can't remember a thing._ "

"Really?" Sonchar's concern was once again showing. He really did wear his emotions on his sleeves. "How far back do you recall?"

" _Since… since you woke me up._ "

"What? You mean, you don't remember a thing since I found you this afternoon?"

I nodded.

"Wow…"

Yeah.

"So, is there anything you do remember? I mean, other than your name and how to speak. Well, sort of- you know what I mean. Wait, I remember when I mentioned that you're a Riolu, you sort of freaked out. Do you know why that was?"

Deep breath. " _Yeah._ "

"… and?"

" _It's because I'm not a Riolu. I'm actually a human, or at least I was._ "

"What…" Sonchar could only say as he tried to process what I said. "You're a human? But… I know I haven't seen a lot of them, but you look like a completely normal Riolu to me!"

" _Now you know why I was panicking. I didn't notice I was different at first, but that was probably because I was still trying to figure out who I was and how I got there. Once I started to see all the different parts of me, I knew something had happened to me._ "

"B-but I don't get it! If you lost all your memories, then how… how would you even know that you were a human?!"

He raised a good point, but... " _I honestly don't know how I do, but I know it's the truth. I can't really picture exactly what I looked like, but I know that my arms shouldn't have this much fur, my wrists shouldn't have these metallic bumps, and I shouldn't have whatever the hell these droopy things are hanging down from my face. Seriously, are they supposed to be ears or what?_ "

"I think they have something to do with their aura sensing- but we're getting off topic here."

I chuckled dryly.

"This is really a lot to process…"

" _Tell me about it._ "

"I guess this also explains how you speak differently than me and other Pokémon, huh?"

I nodded, not really sure, but it at least made sense. I imagined Pokémon and human languages were far different from each other.

" _And before you ask, I don't know how I understand you. I guessed it had to do with me turning into a Riolu as you called me, but for all I know, it could have been some ability I had before all this happened. I really couldn't tell you. Same with the telepathy. I have no idea._ "

"OK…" Sonchar said, taking a breath.

Huh, I wonder if that's how he knew to tell me to breathe before, because it was how he handled anxiety or feeling overwhelmed.

"So, you're a human who was turned into a Pokémon, but with no memories of who you are or where you came from."

" _That about sums up the last five minutes of conversation, yes,_ " I confirmed a bit more rudely than I should have.

"I guess it's safe to say you don't have any place to go after this, huh?"

" _Yeah, I wouldn't know where to go,_ " I shrugged.

"Alright then, you're coming with me."

" **What?** "

"I can't leave you here on your own. You'd be lost and wouldn't know what to do. And, the whole human thing would be a problem, too."

" _Why is that?_ "

"Basically, humans and Pokémon are not allowed to intermingle. The rest of your kind are all literally living on the other side of the world. If it was found out what you are, I don't know what would happen to you. But I know I'd never hear from you again."

I gulped. Somehow, as he spoke, I knew what he said to be true, though it didn't register in my mind until he said it.

"Actually, I think I can help you!" Sonchar claimed excitedly. This certainly piqued my curiosity.

" _How can you do that?_ "

"Erm, not me exactly, but… Remember how I told you I dreamed of being an explorer?" I nodded. "Well, there's actually an explorer's guild nearby that I wanted to join. In fact, I was just on my way back from there before I found you."

" _And this can help me how?_ "

"The thing is, the Guildmasters are really smart and knowledgeable, and have access to all sorts of sources of information! I mean, we can't exactly just walk in and say 'hi, I'm a human! Can you help me figure out what happened to me?' But if we were to try out for apprenticeship, we can check out all sorts of places around the region for clues about what could have caused this."

I couldn't help but feel a little skeptical. Clearly, it was a longshot. However, in my current situation, was there anything else I could do? I had no leads on where I should be going or what I should be doing. But why would Sonchar want to go through all of this with me? It was obvious he was a kindhearted Pokémon, but I wondered if he had some ulterior motives.

" _Why would you want to do all this with me?_ " I asked.

"What do you mean?" Sonchar responded a little too quickly.

" _I mean, why would you want to accompany me on this journey? Why would you want to be stuck with me, knowing there was no way I would even know if I was making any progress? It's possible I could never remember anything at all._ "

"Well…" Sonchar sighed. "The truth is, I'm a big coward. I tried going to the guild a few times, but I always back out just before I walk in. Every time I think I'm about to do it, I just think I'm going to fail. I even brought my treasure with me this time hoping it would motivate me to continue, but…"

I guess that would explain why he was carrying his fragment with him. Thinking about it, it certainly wouldn't make sense why he would be carrying around something so valuable in the middle of nowhere.

"Sorry, Kamon. I guess I thought if we were working together, that we could succeed. After seeing what we did when we chased down those two thieves, I thought the two of us could make a good team. The guild even provides its students with food and a place to live, and I can't think of anywhere else that could help you that wouldn't put you in more danger."

I took a few moments to consider what he said. It was true, I had nowhere else to go and it wouldn't take long before I ran into somebody like Cross or Fang. Not to mention, I just started to realize how hungry I felt. And if I was honest, I wouldn't mind having Sonchar around as I worked to regain my lost memories.

" _OK, I'll do it._ "

"Y-you will?" Sonchar asked, probably not meaning to show his enthusiasm.

" _Yeah. There's honestly nothing else I can think of that I could do. And maybe at the end of all this, both of us will find what we're looking for._ "

"Th-thank you, Kamon," Sonchar looked to be holding back tears of excitement. "We'll be in this together!"

The two of us grinned in solidarity. We were two lost souls trying to find our place in this world, but at least we wouldn't have to do it alone.

"Wow, it's starting to get dark. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to sign up at the guild."

" _Oh…_ " that brought down the enthusiasm a bit.

"It'll be fine. I have a place where we can stay for the night, and a little food stashed away that we can eat. We'll have to cut through the local town, so stay close to me and, uh, try not to speak out loud, alright? We'll head to the guild first thing in the morning after getting some sleep."

* * *

With our plan made, Sonchar and I set out for the place he was currently staying. I wasn't sure where he was taking me, but based on how he described it, all I could gather was that it was not his actual home. Hopefully, it wouldn't turn out to be a friend's home, because I really did not feel up to having to explain my situation again or having to try to figure out some cover story, since it would only be for a single night if the Guild worked out.

I would find out soon, as Sonchar led me to a nearby city, which he told me was known as Treasure Town. To get there, we had to head up a small hill that look us to a cliff overlooking the beach where I awoke.

"Stay close to me, and try not to draw much attention," Sonchar whispered once we reached the town border. He must have noticed my nervousness, because he immediately added, "Don't worry, there won't be any trouble! I just think we both need some rest, and then I'll give you a proper tour tomorrow on the way to the guild." While appreciated, his clarification didn't do much to ease my nerves, but I nodded and continued on with him.

Thankfully, with nightfall approaching, the town was rather quiet, making it easy to pass by all the merchant stands closing up their shops for the night. A small amount of Pokémon, some of whose species I recognized and more that I didn't, would give friendly smiles and casual greetings as we crossed paths. Most, however, were more focused on finishing up their last minute shopping stops or chatting with their companions. A few gave glanced and pointed in our direction from afar, making me a little nervous and on edge. Sonchar tried to assure me that it was simply due to Riolu and their evolution being an uncommon sight in the region, but that didn't make me any more uncomfortable with the attention.

Fortunately, the trip was quick as the town was rather small and nobody tried to hold us up. Our destination was the edge of the cliff past all the merchant stands. As soon as we reached there, Sonchar looked around, and then pulled me to a pile of shrubs. Once he was sure nobody was around and could see, he moved some of the branches, revealing a narrow tunnel.

"Alright, go on through," Sonchar signaled.

" _Are you sure?_ " I asked. " _Looks pretty narrow._ "

"You'll be fine, I've gone through it many times."

Though skeptical, I nodded and crawled down the tunnel until I reached a flat floor. Sonchar followed shortly, sliding down with a practiced grace.

"Don't worry," Sonchar assured, "I covered the entrance up. I've been staying here the last couple weeks, and nobody seems to have noticed this place yet. I've got some food stashed over here that should last us for the night."

As Sonchar went to fetch our meal, I took a look around me. We appeared to be in a very small cave on the edge of the cliff. There was an opening at the end with teeth shaped rocks barely forming a barricade. Through the opening, there was a beautiful view of the sun setting behind the vast, blue ocean.

"This place is called Sharpedo Bluff," Sonchar explained as he handed me an apple. "It was carved into the shape of a Sharpedo's head. It looks a lot cooler on the outside, though."

Listening, I sat myself on the ground and took a bite of the fruit.

"Sorry, it's not very comfortable here. I don't really have a lot to eat or anything to sleep on other than the ground…"

" _Don't worry about it_ ," I reassured. " _We have food and shelter to get us by for the night._ " For some reason, the lack of food didn't bother me too much. Sure, I was hungry, but I guessed that I had to get by on less before. I was honestly more concerned about somebody intruding on our hideout. " _But you're sure nobody ever comes here?_ "

"Yeah, I guess the idea of being inside the mouth of a shark is a little scary for most Pokémon," Sonchar nervously chuckled. "But at least you don't have to deal with the harsh sunlight in the morning, and we get an amazing view of the sunset."

Thinking about it, I don't think I would have minded waking up to the sunrise. It didn't seem like something I ever had an opportunity to do before the memory loss. I imagined the same was true for the sunset, but it seemed I was granted that opportunity this night as my companion and I watched in a comfortable silence as we ate our small meal.

"I never get tired of that sight," Sonchar said once the sky was completely dark.

I nodded in agreement. Though I was sure it was my first time witnessing it, I didn't think I would ever get tired of that scene. I still really wanted to see a sunrise, but I was content to wait until another time. All I knew was that once I was able to relax, I realized just how tired I was. Apparently, a day of spelunking through a strange cave and fighting for my life turned out to be quite the workout. But mostly, I felt like I was mentally drained. Having woken up to realize I knew almost nothing about who or where I was, and then learning many things about myself and forming many more speculations about my situation that only worried me… well, all I could say was that I was exhausted in all aspects.

"Anyway," Sonchar said with a yawn. "We should probably get some rest. We can head to the guild early in the morning tomorrow. I have a little bit of Poké stashed, so we might be able to grab a small bite before heading there."

Nodding, I found a spot away from the edge to lay for the night.

"Goodnight, Kamon," Sonchar said as he did the same.

" _Goodnight, Sonchar._ "

Author's Notes

This is the first of four or so chapters of world building, and is also the most dialogue intensive chapter of anything I've ever written. I realize that's nothing compared to what a lot of people here have done, but I'm pretty pleased when considering my skill level. I ended up waiting an extra week to post, because I admittedly got a little lazy the last few weeks and am getting a little close to my buffer. I actually managed to get the first four chapters (basically, up to this one) all written in about two weeks, but I guess I burned myself out a little quick, because the following chapters would take 2 weeks to a month each. Here's hoping a little break will help me get back into things at a reasonable pace!


	5. The New Guild Recruits

Chapter 5: The New Guild Recruits

(The next morning…)

"Good morning, Kamon," Sonchar said, stretching as he awoke. A yawn was my greeting as I sat up rubbing my eyes. "Looks like it's going to be a nice day today."

Looking out the "mouth" of the Bluff, I could see a slightly cloudy, blue sky over the blue ocean. I could feel the warmth of the sun even in the shade of the bluff. Even though I wasn't able to get much sleep the previous night, I didn't mind waking up to this.

"Looks like we slept in a little…" Sonchar said, scratching the back of his head. "But we should have enough time to grab some breakfast before heading to the guild. You hungry?"

Nodding, I slowly stood up and stretched my limbs. Sonchar followed suit, and then went to his stash where he kept his money and his relic fragment.

"Not much of a morning person are you?" Sonchar asked with a wink, likely referring to my quietness as I awoke.

Hiding a smirk, I responded with a shrug and moved to the tunnel.

"Let me go first," Sonchar said as he intercepted my path. "Sorry, just want to make sure it's clear so nobody else finds this place. Just in case we don't, you know…"

In case we don't make it into the guild.

"No, I'm sure we'll make it in," Sonchar shook his head and perked up. "After all, I've got you here with me this time. I know I can go through with it this time."

I couldn't help but smile at his newfound confidence. " _We'll make it, and we'll become the best exploration team ever._ " While I was sure I didn't match his enthusiasm, I could tell that he was at least grateful for the encouragement.

"I don't know about that," Sonchar laughed. "But we'll never get anywhere if we don't at least try. Anyway, I'll head up now and call you if it's clear."

Stepping aside, I waited for Sonchar to work his way through the passage. After the sounds of some debris shifting, I heard Sonchar's muffled call, and then proceeded to follow him out of the cave. Once both of us were outside, Sonchar did his best to cover the hole, though it seemed some of the branches were blown away by the night's wind.

"Guess we'll just have to make sure to give a good impression," Sonchar sighed. "Heh, sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "didn't mean to bring down the mood already. But like you said, we'll make it and we'll be the best team we can be."

Chuckling, I could tell that working with Sonchar would entail many moments of emotional whiplash. One moment, the two of us would be ready to head out, but it wouldn't take a lot for doubt to creep in. However, if he didn't bounce back on his own, a few words of encouragement would bring his smile back, which was fortunate, because that was the best I had to offer in my amnesiac state. I looked forward to seeing his confidence build and maintain, and hopefully, I would do the same as I learned more about this world and who I was before forgetting everything.

"Let's head out," Sonchar said as I was drifting off.

Following the Chimchar's lead, I walked back into what was now a much busier Treasure Town. Where there were only a few Pokémon finishing up their days the previous night, there were Pokémon of all sorts I didn't recognize making their rounds to all the different stands. Sonchar would take a moment to explain most of the stands we passed. There was the "Kangaskhan Storage," where adventurers could store personal belonging they didn't have room for on hand or in their homes. Across from that was a small tent run by some sort of a mystic bird that offered services to those looking to get their fortunes told, as Sonchar put it. We ended up passing that one by, as the way the totem-looking bird would stare blankly outside their tent gave both of us the creeps.

Our destination was a small general merchandise store run by a pair of reptiles that by all accounts looked the same, except their color schemes. One's body was a bright green, while the other was a dull purple, and both had a jagged, red stripe along their midsections. Apparently, their shop was as creatively named as the storage stand next door, as it was called the "Kecleon Shop." Once the Pokémon ahead of us finished their business, Sonchar approached the stand with me following suit.

"Welcome to Kecleon Shop!" the green chameleon greeted. "How can we help you today, little Chimchar and Riolu?" Were all Pokémon so quick to call strangers by their species name?

"Could I, um, get two apples, please?" Sonchar ordered.

"Sure thing, will that be all for you this morning?"

"Yeah, that'll do."

"Alright, that'll be 50 Poké."

As Sonchar handed over the payment, the purple one retrieved the food from the inside of their store.

"Thank you!" Sonchar chirped as the transaction was completed.

"You're welcome, we look forward to seeing you again!"

" _Thank you,_ " I said as we each took our meal. They didn't seem to respond, so we continued on our way.

Though it was the same meal as the night before, I made no complaints and thanked Sonchar as well. He of course instantly said it was no problem, but I could see that he didn't have a lot of money left after paying for both of us. Nevertheless, we approached a small stream that separated both halves of the town, near which we sat as we ate our food in companionable silence.

As soon as we finished and crossed the bridge over the stream, Sonchar was immediately back in tour guide mode. Some of the next few stalls included: the "Electivire Link Shop," where a large electric type would tutor adventurers on how to properly utilize their moves to their fullest potential; the "Marowak Dojo," where the sensei would toughen up his students to survive by having them run through mock Mystery Dungeons; and the "Chansey Daycare," which was run by a middle-aged Pokémon who would supervise young Pokémon as well as nurture the eggs of unborn Pokémon that didn't have parents to do so.

While I was mostly engrossed in what Sonchar was telling me, I couldn't help but noticed some of the Pokémon would stare at us, especially every time Sonchar answered or question or responded to something I said. It almost seemed like they were looking at him with a sort of uncertainty. Remembering when Sonchar mentioned that Riolu were a rare sight, I tried to shrug it off as paranoia. But the more stares we got, the more I started to suspect something.

Eventually, we made it to a crossroad, one road leading down the beach, another to the wilderness outside of town, and the final one contained an upward slope leading to our destination. Part of me was relieved to see our path was free of passersby and their suspicious gazes. Another was dreading possibly finding out something I didn't know how to deal with. Sonchar, who had already taken a few steps up the hill, stopped when he noticed I was lagging behind.

"Is something the matter, Kamon?" he asked, concern clear in his tone.

Shaking my head, I answered, " _Sorry, guess I'm just a little nervous too._ " Seeing disappointment start to show on his face, I quickly added, " _I'm fine, though. Let's go and introduce ourselves._ "

Before he could press the issue, I resumed course and made my way up the slope. Sonchar picked up his pace, getting a bit ahead of me. At the hilltop, we were met with the sight of a large statue of a pink, smiling Pokémon over the entrance of a large tent. Around us were a pair of totems in the shapes of various Pokémon I didn't recognize, along with a couple of fire pits on either side of the statue and a large grate on the ground in front of us.

"Alright, this is the guild," Sonchar explained.

" _Wait, this is the guild? It looks like a campground with a tent._ "

"Oh no," Sonchar laughed. "The guild is built inside the hill. The tent is the entrance, and we climb down when we're inside."

Well, that was an interesting design. But with no one out here to greet us, and with the tent somehow having a gate on it, that lead to the question. " _So, how do we get in?_ "

"Well, we have to… I'll just show you." Taking a deep breath (and confirming that advice was from his own coping mechanism), Sonchar made his way to the top of the grate.

Within seconds, I heard a muffled shout under the grate where Sonchar was standing. " _Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!_ "

" _WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?_ " came a louder, but still muffled, shout.

" _The footprint is Chimchar's! The footprint is Chimchar's!_ "

" _You may enter! But first, someone is with you! Have that Pokémon stand on the grate now!_ "

Obeying the command, Sonchar stepped off the grate towards the tent. After waiting a few seconds, Sonchar looked to me and said, "I, uh, think they're talking about you, Kamon?"

I figured as much, but felt uncomfortable with it. The gate was over a dark tunnel, and I couldn't see who was down there. Why not just keep their sentries outside where we could see them instead of going through this bizarre process?

"Um… are you gonna-"

" _MOVE IT!_ " the second voice shouted, interrupting Sonchar. " _Get on the GRATE!_ "

" **Yeep!** " I squealed, and then rushed onto the grate. Were it not for the shock, I would have glared at my companion who was trying and failing to suppress a giggle.

" _Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!_ "

" _WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?_ " The process began all over again.

" _The footprint is, um… The footprint is, um…_ "

There was an awkward silence as the first sentry tried to answer the repeated question. It was odd; I had pretty quickly gotten used to running around unclothed, but with the sentry guards apparently studying me from that position, I felt strangely exposed. And with my feet making me look like I was standing on my tippy toes, I was certain I was going to trip into one of the grate's holes and make a complete fool of myself.

" _What's the matter, sentry?!_ " voice number two questioned. " _Sentry Diglett?!_ "

" _The footprint is… Riolu's… I think? Riolu's, I think!_ " Just my luck that I had to reborn as a rare Pokémon in this region.

" _You 'THINK?!' What do you mean you 'think?' Identifying Pokémon's footprints is YOUR job, isn't it, sentry Diglett?!_ "

" _What do you want me to say? Riolu are rare for the region, and I don't know what I don't know._ "

"Are…" Sonchar started to say. "Are they arguing?"

I could only shrug as I waited for some sort of direction, but the two were indeed still bickering, albeit more quietly.

" _Okay, fine!_ " voice number two finally said. " _You may enter. Please see the Chimeco at the reception desk, and welcome to Wigglytuff's Guild!_ "

The door to the guild opened, and I immediately jumped off of the grate. Thankfully, I managed to avoid tripping, but it would take a while to get over that uncomfortableness.

"Well, that was… something," Sonchar eloquently stated.

" _Yeah, I hope we don't have to do that again,_ " I shuddered

"Don't worry. They'll know who we are next time, so it'll be like when they saw me. Anyway, let's go through before they get impatient and close the gate."

I couldn't agree more as we stepped through the door into the tent. Inside was a small room that was empty, save for a staircase that led to the level below us, as well as a ladder that seemed to do the same. It seemed sensible that they had to account for Pokémon that didn't walk on two legs and had opposable thumbs. Fortunately, that was a trait that I still kept, despite my hands resembling paws, and I took advantage of it by taking the ladder down to the lower floor, followed by my companion a few steps above me.

Once we reached the ground, I saw that we entered into a much larger and open room. There were Pokémon conversing in pairs and small groups. One such pair was a rather large, intimidating bird with a small, skittish, red bug near a large bulletin on one side. There was also a pack of three small, grey, shaggy-haired canine Pokémon debating something near another bulletin on the other side. Remembering what our instructions were, I spotted the desk where a Pokémon that looked to be a bell wrapped in a long, white and red cloth hovered.

" _I'm guessing that's the Chimeco?_ " I deduced.

"Yep," Sonchar confirmed. "Let's go get registered." I allowed Sonchar to lead as we approached the desk.

"Hello!" the Chimeco greeted cheerfully. "Welcome to Wigglytuff's Guild! I'm Isabelle! How can I help you two today?"

"H-hi!" Sonchar responded. "We, wou-would like to, um, j-join the guild!"

"Oh my!" Isabelle enthusiastically chirped. "We haven't had new recruits in a long time! Most people are usually too intimidated by our training regiments!"

"Is- is it _that_ difficult?" Sonchar asked nervously.

"Wh-what? No, of course not!" the Chimecho suddenly changed her tune. "It's not too difficult at all!"

"But you just said-"

"Don't mind me. Now, could you two please tell me your names?"

"Oh, um, I'm Sonchar."

" _And I'm Kamon,_ " I chimed in.

"Hello, Sonchar. And could you tell me your name, please?" Isabelle asked me.

" _I said my name is Kamon._ "

Another awkward silence ensued, and I realized that what I feared was correct.

"Um…" the Chimecho said as she patiently waited.

"Psst, Kamon, are you listening?" Sonchar whispered.

" _You didn't hear me either?_ " I asked, trying to hide the anxiety I was feeling.

"No?" he answered, and I sighed in relief that he at least heard that.

" _Answer her for me now, please!_ "

Realizing the urgency of my request, Sonchar quickly answered, "Oh, uh, sorry, he's a little shy. My partner's name is Kamon."

Really? 'He's shy' was the best he could come up with? I supposed given the suddenness of my request, that was the best explanation that could be expected.

"No problem! Thank you, I'll take your information to the Guildmaster. Please wait here, and Guildmaster Wigglytuff or Lt. Rowkin will be with you shortly!"

"Thank you," Sonchar said as Isabelle floated down to another lower floor. Pulling me to a spot away from the nearby Pokémon, he looked to me and whispered, "What happened there? Did you get nervous again?"

" _I think only you can hear me, Sonchar._ "

"What?" he responded, and looked around once he noticed his jump in volume. Most of the nearby Pokémon turned in our direction, but soon lost interest and returned to their business. "Are you sure?"

" _Yeah, I thought so for a short while._ "

"When did you realize?"

" _I think shortly after we entered Treasure Town? I remember thanking the Kecleons, and they didn't even seem to respond. I didn't think much of it, but then I noticed a lot of the other Pokémon staring when we were talking throughout the town. I pretty much confirmed it when Isabelle didn't hear me when I answered twice._ "

"You answered her?"

" _Yeah, and I almost panicked when I realized you didn't hear me. I thought I lost my telepathic ability until you answered me after that. So, for whatever reason, you're the only one that can hear me._ "

"Oh wow…" Sonchar took a moment to let that soak in. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

" _I'm sorry,_ " I said facing the ground, unable to look him in the eyes. " _I thought if you were worried about that, you would put off trying out for the guild. I didn't want to stop you from trying, and you mentioned that Riolu were really rare here, so I was hoping that was why the other people were acting weird around me. I guess that wasn't the case._ "

"Oh…"

" _I'm so sorry, Sonchar._ "

"Hey, don't worry about it," he reassured. "Look, we don't have to do this if you can't-"

" _No,_ " I immediately interrupted. " _I don't want this to stop you from doing this, Sonchar. You've already done so much to help me, and you already told me that this was your dream. Please, don't let me be the reason why you put this on hold any longer, especially now that you've finally taken that first step._ "

"Okay, I won't. But I told you I don't think I can do this without you, and… No, I couldn't sleep if I knew you were out there on your own. You've also helped me out a lot with those bullies, and I would have never gotten my Relic Fragment back if you hadn't helped me."

" _But if I wasn't there distracting you, they never would have been able-_ "

"They would have still mugged me if I didn't see you there. I think I heard them following me ever since I left the guild doorstep yesterday, but I couldn't see anything when I turned around. The fact is that no matter how you look at it, you helped me out there when I needed you. So, I won't throw you out into the world on your own where Arceus-knows-what will happen to you. I couldn't live with myself if I did that, Kamon."

I was stunned. Not expecting the sudden assertiveness from the Chimchar, even if there was no ill intent behind it, I couldn't think of anything to say. All I could do was ask, " _What are we going to do, then?_ "

"We'll just…" Sonchar took a moment to deliberate . "We'll tell them that you're mute and that you can only talk to me. It's not really lying, right?"

" _Do you think they'll just go with that? Isn't it odd for someone to only be able to speak telepathically to one other person, one who isn't even the same species, or hell, even the same type?_ "

"Stranger things have happened?" Sonchar shrugged. "Look, I'm sure we'll be fine. We'll just say that your psychic abilities haven't developed that far yet. Besides, Riolu and Lucario aren't really psychic types, even if they have a lot of similar abilities. It's not really that weird of a thing, right?"

" _I'm still not sure…_ "

"So then, how about this? We'll give it a try, and if they go for it, we'll keep going. If not, then we'll move on and try to figure something else out. You don't want me to give up on trying, and I don't want to throw you out on your own. Is that a deal?"

I sighed, but figuring this was the best we could do, " _It's a deal,_ " I agreed. I prayed that this would work.

"Good!" Sonchar said with that innocent smile.

"Ah, you two must be the new guild recruits. Welcome!"


	6. Team Blazing Aura

Chapter 6: Team Blazing Aura

Sonchar and I both jumped at the voice. Looking the direction from which it came, we saw a rather colorful bird hopping towards us. While his head was pitch black with some strange appendage sprouting on top of it, his beak was a shiny pink, wings a bright blue, and belly a layer of green and yellow feathers, the latter matching his yellow legs and talons. He also appeared to have a puffy, white collar around his neck that looked like it would provide a comfortable, natural pillow that I was only slightly envious about after crashing on the floor the previous night.

"I hope I didn't startle you two too much," the bird squawked. "It appeared that you were having a private conversation, so I waited until it seemed you were finished. I am hoping that was the case?"

"Yes, we're finished, sir," Sonchar answered respectfully. "I'm sorry if we kept you waiting."

"Certainly. Now, I am Rowkin, the Lieutenant Guildmaster of Wigglytuff's Guild. And a Chatot, in case you were unsure. Could you please tell me your names?"

"I'm Sonchar, and this is Kamon," Sonchar pointed to me when mentioning my name.

"Welcome, Sonchar and Kamon. I am told that you two have interest in apprenticing at our guild?"

"Absolutely!" Sonchar answered excitedly. "I've wanted to form an exploration team for a while, and would love a chance to learn from the best!" Who knew Sonchar was such a little flatterer? I thought with a chuckle.

"Excellent. And what about you, young man?" Rowkin asked facing my way.

My amusement faded, and I looked at Sonchar, hoping he would know what to say.

"Well?" Rowkin asked, seemingly impatient. "Do you share the same dream as our Chimchar friend here?"

"Sorry, he's, uh…" Sonchar jumped in. "He's actually mute, and can't speak."

"Why didn't you say so first?" Rowkin squawked. "Is there some other way he can communicate?"

"Yeah, uh, he's able to speak telepathically, but… only to me?"

" _You're really just going to tell him that?_ " I asked, a bit caught off guard.

"Only to you?" Rowkin asked, obviously skeptical. "I hope you understand, that sounds rather farfetched."

"Yeah, I'm not too sure what happened exactly, since he doesn't really like to talk about it."

 _Smooth, Sonchar_ , I thought as I suppressed an eye roll.

"But I guess it happened before he was able to really practice his telekinesis very much?"

" _You mean 'telepathy?'_ " I corrected.

"Yeah, sorry, telepathy. I don't really know how this stuff works… but he can't really reach out to other people yet, so I have to talk for him for the time being."

"I see…" Rowkin said, still unconvinced. "Is this the truth, Kamon?"

I gave a quick nod, hoping to hide any uncertainty in my response. Strangely, it wasn't the fact that we were only being partially honest that was making me unconfident. It was simply the fact that this explanation seemed so rushed and that it likely would lead to more poking and prodding for information. I supposed that was what I got for waiting until the last second to let Sonchar know what was going on.

"Alright then. We'll make sure to have Sonchar here answer questions on your behalf. But before we continue, let's go back to my question. Do you also share the dream of becoming an explorer, discovering treasures and other such wonders, and rescuing other Pokémon in need?"

" _I guess tell him the same as you?_ " I relayed my half-answer to Sonchar.

"He's not as enthusiastic as me," Sonchar answered. "He's a bit new to the area, and we figured this would be a good way for him to get to know the region. But he's every bit an adventurer as me, maybe even more! We actually went through an easy dungeon yesterday, and you wouldn't believe how good he did!"

" _Maybe over-exaggerating a bit there,_ " I said sarcastically, remembering the few moments of panic I experienced in that dungeon.

"Come on, don't sell yourself short. We wouldn't have made it all the way through if you weren't there with me!"

" _And if it weren't for you, I'd probably be stuck there with no idea-_ "

"Wait a minute!" Rowkin interrupted. "You're telling me you two kids explored a dungeon on your own with no certified training?"

"B-but it was an easy one, like I said! It was just that cave over there by the beach, nothing too dangerous!"

"Even so! You should know that those are dangerous places to visit. Did you even put in a rescue request on the chance that you wouldn't make it through?"

"No…" Sonchar answered, facing the ground.

"Unbelievable! You mean to tell me that you two acted this irresponsibly, and yet, you believe you are fit for the task of potentially rescuing other explorers?"

"Eep!" Sonchar squeaked in response.

Unfortunately, all I could do was watch the exchange with no ability to chime in. I wasn't quite sure what the issue even was. It wasn't as if that dungeon posed any danger to us, other than those Team Skull thugs we were chasing. Even then, we took care of them rather efficiently, if I was perfectly honest. And… well, it wasn't like Rowkin knew about the little panic attacks, but we still got through them.

"Well? Anything to say for yourself?" Rowkin asked, judgment clear in his tone. "Hmph!"

I didn't even have to look at Sonchar to know the disappointment he was feeling. And it was probably for the best that I didn't look. It was the only thing I could do not to let my anger override my better judgment.

"Well, I suppose if you two made it out no worse for wear," Rowkin said, "then perhaps you are not completely hopeless."

I breathed a small sigh of relief as I saw Sonchar perk up in hope.

"Obviously, we'll need to instill some common sense into you, but I believe we can make a proper exploration team out of you yet. Now, if you're both certain you truly wish to proceed, please follow me to our Guildmaster's office," Rowkin said, and then made his way towards the ladder.

" _Well, that was completely unnecessary,_ " I said in annoyance.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to get chewed out there," Sonchar whispered his response, still embarrassed from the scolding. "We should go before he gets-"

"Please pick up the pace, you two! We haven't got all day!"

"… mad again. Let's go, Kamon."

Breathing out another sigh while I could, I made my way over just behind Sonchar. We climbed down to the next level below, Sonchar and me with a casual pace while Rowkin hopped down each step with a practiced grace. Once we reached the floor, I took a moment to examine the area.

We were in another large, open room, roughly the size of the level just above us if not slightly wider. This one was much less crowded, but had another desk similar to the other. Hunched over it was a dark, blue Pokémon running that station who had a gaze that would even make that Xatu from Treasure Town shudder. Quickly looking away, I returned my attention to the Pokémon guiding us as he stopped just behind a closed wooden door.

"This is the Guildmaster's office," Rowkin said. He had a look of uncertainty on his face, though about what I wasn't sure. "I must warn you, our Guildmaster is rather… How shall I put this? Unorthodox. But I assure you, he is absolutely brilliant and the best at what he does. I must ask you to please be courteous and respectful as we go through the formalities."

"Of course!" Sonchar said. "We would never mean to be rude."

"I'm certain. I just wanted to make sure you understood. Now, if one of you could please knock on the door for me, so I don't have to shout or damage my beak?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Ever the helpful monkey, Sonchar approached the door and gave it a few knocks on the bird's behalf.

A few seconds passed, and nothing happened. Sighing, Rowkin shouted, "Guildmaster! I'm coming in!" After waiting another few seconds, the Chatot fluttered up to the door handle, latching onto it and shifting his weight to open the door, and then slowly floated back to the ground. Even though I was still a bit irked by his attitude earlier, I would admit he was certainly able to get around in an environment that seemed more suited for Pokémon with more humanoid body structures. "Follow me, please."

Obediently, Sonchar and I stepped into the office right behind Rowkin. The room was rather open with a few flowery shrubs planted throughout the ground. There were some open wooden chests containing many trinkets and treasures, likely placed there to show off the findings of many successful explorations. And standing on a plain, red rug was a large Pokémon facing away from us. The figure's ovular body was both tall and plump, but made less imposing by the bright shade of pink. Its large ears, which were dangling on either side, almost seemed as long as half its body. Bright color aside, I could imagine why this Guildmaster's presence seemed to inspire respect while carrying an air of intimidation.

Not seeing any seats, Sonchar and I stood near the door while the Chatot approached the Pokémon. "Excuse me, Guildmaster," Rowkin said, clearing his throat. "I have brought two prospective recru-"

"HIYA!"

The three of us gasped in shock as the Guildmaster spun around in an almost possessed manner.

"Hello, new friends! Friendly friends!"

"Uh... hi?" Sonchar poorly attempted to return the greeting.

"You're here to sign up as apprentices to our guild, is that correct?"

"Y-yeah, that's corre-"

"Fantastic! Could you please tell me your team's name?"

"Yeah. I'm Sonchar, and my partner here is Kamon."

"Fantastic!" Wigglytuff repeated his cheer. "But what about your team name?"

"Our what?" Sonchar asked.

"Your team name! You don't mean to tell me you haven't picked out a cool name for yourselves yet?!"

"We, uh, haven't really thought about it?" Sonchar answered.

"Oh no!" Wigglytuff pressed his stubby hands to his mouth in what I assumed was exaggerated shock. "That certainly won't do! You can't be an amazing exploration team without an awesome name to match your intensity! Take some time to think it over."

"Sure…" Sonchar responded clearly unsure. "Um, got any cool name ideas, Kamon?" he asked facing me.

I shrugged, and said, " _Sorry, nothing's coming to mind._ "

"Great…" Poor Sonchar. I felt guilty that he was the one stuck with the task of communicating, but I wasn't going to be of any help with that task. It seemed like a really trivial thing to worry about, but the Guildmaster was clearly adamant about it. "How about Kam-char?"

Maybe I should have tried to come up with something.

"Yeah, that was awful, sorry… Um, how about Fire-Fighters?" Were it not for his fur hiding his skin, I imagined the poor Chimchar would have been blushing. He clearly wasn't any better at this than I was.

"If you don't mind me making a suggestion," Rowkin chimed in. "Since you're going for something that takes after both of you, how about Team 'Blazing Aura?'"

"Team what?" Sonchar asked.

"Blazing Aura," Rowkin repeated. "As I'm sure you know, Riolu and Lucario are renowned for their abilities to sense the auras of those around them, as well as channeling their own to create amazing abilities. And 'blazing,' I think, speaks for itself, with you being a fire type."

"I think it sounds cool!" Sonchar agreed excitedly.

" _What is he talking about with the whole aura thing?_ " I asked. Thinking about it, I recalled Sonchar mentioning something about sensing auras when I was describing my new body, but it was more of a passing comment.

"I'll tell you more about it later," Sonchar whispered his response. "What do you think about the name, Kamon?" he asked in his normal volume.

" _I guess it's fine? I'm not really too worried about it._ " I nodded to relay my consent to the others.

"Then it's settled!" the Guildmaster cheered, enthusiastically as ever. "Please allow me a moment to register this information." Wigglytuff stood like a statue for a good half minute, one of his ears twitching as it stood upward. His eyes had a blank look, and I could have sworn I heard him buzzing quietly.

" _What the hell is wrong with this guy?_ " I finally decided to ask. Sonchar could only look at me incredulously, as no response would serve us well at the moment. It was becoming increasingly apparent that I misjudged his commanding presence entirely.

"YOOM-TAH!" Wigglytuff suddenly shouted, returning our attention to him. "All done!"

"What did you do?" Sonchar asked.

"I registered your team! Welcome to the Guild, Team Blazing Aura!"

"Oh, uh, thanks!"

Though still confused, Sonchar's excitement returned in full force as it became official, and I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. The two of us were now an exploration team, or at least in the process of training to become one. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Rowkin and Wigglytuff explaining the guidelines of the Guild training, as well as the rules we were to follow. Sonchar and Rowkin also explained my "condition" to the Guildmaster, who, true to form, was understanding and sympathetic.

We also received a satchel they affectionately referred to as our "treasure bag," inside which contained: a map of the region; a few days' worth of rations for explorations; and a pair of scarves, one a burnt orange and the other a bright sky blue. Each were said to contain a power that would offer a slight boost to the wearer's abilities, which I was skeptical about at first. However, once we each took a scarf (orange for me and blue for Sonchar so they didn't blend in to our fur colors), I shuddered as I felt a surge pulse through my body. While I didn't notice any visual changes to myself, I did feel stronger and more durable. Sonchar said he felt similar boosts, but more related to his elemental abilities. Each scarf was designed to enhance the physical and "special" strengths of the wearers respectively.

"Now then," Chatot said once the orientation was nearly complete. "I believe we've overloaded you young recruits with enough information for the day. Please follow me as I show you to your room."

"Yes sir," Sonchar answered respectfully on both our behalves.

The two of us diligently followed Rowkin out of the office and into a hallway past the second basement floor. There were a few doorways we passed that I wasn't able to get a look inside as the Chatot led us to a room perpendicular to the others.

"This will be your dormitory for the duration of your apprenticeship," Rowkin explained. "Feel free to take a look inside."

We walked into the small, circular room. "Wow, we get our own beds, Kamon!" Sonchar shouted excitedly as he ran and hopped onto one of the beds of straw near the end of the room. Looked like I was taking the one closer to the door. It was all the same to me. I walked over to my bed to get a feel for it. It felt like it would be a little itchy and some of the grains would poke into me, but it certainly was much softer than the hard ground. I supposed if it ever became too uncomfortable, I already felt used to the ground, so it wouldn't be too much of an adjustment.

Other than the beds, the room didn't have too much else inside. There were a couple containers for us to store our personal belongings and a large window giving us a view of the area toward the base of the hill on the opposite side of the beach, as well as exposing us to the afternoon sun.

"I believe everything is to your satisfaction?" Rowkin said.

"Of course!" Sonchar answered in the affirmative.

"Great!" Rowkin responded, unusually chipper. "The Guildmaster and I have some business to attend to. Unfortunately, your guildmates are all out on assignment, so introductions will have to wait until they return. Dinner will be served in the mess hall – you'll hear Isabelle ring the bell - that is, herself - around sunset to summon us. For the time being, feel free to stay in your room or explore the halls of the guild. But make sure you are respectful of your guildmates' dormitories, and try not to interfere with any of the Pokémon coming through to do business. Now, do you have any questions before I take my leave?"

Sonchar looked to me, and I shook my head. "No sir," he answered.

"Alright. If you have any questions, feel free to visit Isabelle on the floor above, or you may seek out myself or the Guildmaster. Team Blazing Aura, you are dismissed."

"Can you believe it, Kamon?" Sonchar was all but bouncing gleefully once Rowkin left the room. "We did it! We actually did it! We're an official exploration team! Arceus, I can't believe it!"

Though I couldn't ever hope to match his level of enthusiasm, I couldn't help but be excited for him. This was his dream, after all, and he was finally working to achieve it. I was still worried about when or if the other Pokémon here would eventually learn the truth about me, but as long as we played it smart, we hopefully wouldn't have to cross that bridge. For now, I was happy to help Sonchar work toward his dream. And who knows? Maybe I would learn more about myself along the way.

* * *

Author's Notes

I was able to get a couple more chapters in the buffer this last week, so we're back to the regular schedule for the time being. Let's hope I can keep this up!

Here, we meet the guild's leadership. I hope I did the two justice. Rowkin was named after Rowan Atkinson, the voice actor of Zazu from the Lion King, because let's face it. Chatot is basically Zazu, playing errand boy to an even less competent leader (though probably without the British accent). As for Wigglytuff, he does have his own name, but for formalities sake, he's referred to as "Guildmaster Wigglytuff" or simply "Guildmaster" (Mr. Wiggles is also something he may go by from time to time). Not to much to say, other than I wasn't too proud of my explanation of the scarves' abilities. I still haven't quite figured out the best explanations for some of the gameplay mechanics. But hopefully, there won't be too many of those moments left in the future.

We still have a couple more chapters left for the introduction to the guild before we get to more dungeon explorations. And in the next chapter, we'll be meeting the rest of the guild.


	7. The Guildmates

Quite note: A buddy of mine made a banner for me on commission. Unfortunately, due to FF's limited image size, we had to reduce it to only show the duo for my cover image. However, you can also find my story on Archive of Our Own as well as the Nuzlocke forums under the same name here, where you can see the full banner.

Chapter 7: The Guildmates

The next few hours after we were dismissed were spent exploring the building that would be our new home. With the other guildmates on assignment and the guild's leadership occupied elsewhere, Sonchar and I were mostly left to our own devices. Of course, with the Lt. Guildmaster's instructions to not intrude on the other rooms and not to interfere with the guild's business, that essentially left us to our dormitory, though we could explore the two main floors if we made sure not to get in the way.

Sonchar decided the most prudent way to pass the time would be to sit out in the main floor and observe day-to-day operations. Part of his thinking was that it would give us a bit of knowledge when our training began, as well as it would show the leadership we had the initiative and the desire to learn what a true exploration team would need while on the field. In that time, we listened to a great number of Pokémon and teams visit the guild. Some came in to pick up jobs from the listings on the boards, while others were there to put in their own rescue requests before beginning their own treks. There was also the occasional desperate Pokémon that was begging for some sort of word on a friend or a loved one that was awaiting a rescue, only to have the receptionist, Isabelle, attempt to reassure and soothe them, even if she had no news to report on their whereabouts as of yet.

It was during those moments where I would see Sonchar occasionally tense up. The scenes of the worried Pokémon were clearly making him uncomfortable, and he would have to look away when they became nearly hysterical. I was concerned that he would not be able to handle witnessing that on a daily basis, as it would undoubtedly be a reality for the type of profession we were pursuing. When I brought that to mind, he shook his head and, in an attempt to reassure, said, "That's one of the reasons I want to apprentice here, so that we could help those in need."

I thought back to when Sonchar told me that about his experience exploring. When he attempted to bite off more than he could chew, he was in a position where he was in danger, and had to be saved by a rescue team. I wondered if that team happened to be a part of this guild and if we would end up meeting them, since the explorers here also perform rescue work to gain experience as well as funding for the guild. As it turned out, they were a freelance team that wasn't affiliated with the guild, but took the job some time before moving on to another region.

I wondered if his experience on that day was what inspired him to want to pursue that career. Perhaps that team left an impact on him, and he wanted to be able to help those that were in his situation while he traveled the world. And if we were to achieve that goal, would we also travel the regions, constantly being on the move as we explored the world? Or would we do what others have done and establish a reputation as we gain a more intimate knowledge about the region we were already in? It was strange, but I couldn't help notice that either prospect sounded exciting.

Remembering my own situation, it seemed more likely that we wouldn't stick to one place for too long. After all, the more the locals would hear about us, the more likely the chance would be of somebody finding out the truth about me. The thought of being hunted down to be imprisoned for "invading" Pokémon territory was scary enough. The more likely outcome of being experimented on if my transmigration was discovered was enough to make me shiver.

Thankfully, those thoughts were interrupted as we were approached by Rowkin. "Ah, there you two are," he said.

"Hello, sir," Sonchar respectfully said.

"One of your guildmates, the newest recruit before you two, has just finished his daily tasks and has returned to the guild."

"Hello!" a voice greeted from behind Rowkin. "My name is Chet." The Pokémon was a brown, furry quadruped with stubby legs and two large buck teeth.

"Oh, hi!" Sonchar excitedly returned the greeting. "I'm Sonchar, and this is my Kamon."

"Chet, if you don't mind," Rowkin said, "I'd like you to show Sonchar around a little bit and get acquainted. In the meantime, I would like to borrow Kamon for a moment, if you wouldn't mind."

" _What?_ "

"What?" Sonchar shared my confusion. "Um, sir, you do remember that-"

"I recall his disability, yes," Rowkin cut him off. "Don't worry, we only need to see him for a moment, and then you two can bring him up to speed."

Sonchar returned my pleading glance with a look of concern, but then shrugged uncertainly. "Okay, I guess. We'll, uh, see you in a bit, Kamon?"

"Alright then. Please follow me, Kamon."

Suppressing my sudden anxiousness, I took a quiet breath and then followed Rowkin to the office. I glanced back to see that Sonchar kept his concerned glance, while an oblivious Chet spoke excitedly.

"Golly! I can't believe I finally have a guildmate junior to me!" Chet all but shouted. "And not just one, but two! This is the happiest day in a long time!"

Their voices started to become muffled as Rowkin and I stepped foot into the Guildmaster's office, until they were completely muted as the door was shut.

"Guildmaster," Rowkin called. "I've returned with Kamon."

"Hello again, friend!" Wigglytuff greeted joyfully as ever. Somehow, his excitement was no more reassuring now than it was earlier. "How are you enjoying the guild so far?"

Giving an uncertain glance to Rowkin, who looked to be suppressing an eye roll or at least a sigh himself, I returned my attention to the Guildmaster and shrugged.

"Oh, silly me!" Wigglytuff seemed to remember, though he didn't seem embarrassed. "That was rude of me to forget."

"Speaking of that, however," Rowkin chimed in, "if you don't mind, Guildmaster, given the situation, I think it would be better not to beat around the bush here." I wasn't sure where this was going, yet I was certain I wouldn't like it.

"That would be best, Rowkin," Wigglytuff answered, suddenly looking more serious than I had seen in my short time here.

"Thank you, Guildmaster. Now Kamon, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable here," Rowkin said, seemingly trying but failing to put me at ease. "But as you can probably imagine, the Guildmaster and I are… well, concerned, to put it simply." He looked at me as if waiting for a reaction, and then continued. "Suffice it to say, we don't really see a lot of Pokémon around here with your specific condition. And as I first approached you two, you seemed to be in a bit of distress. While I did not hear most of what was said between the two of you – which, obviously, was only from Sonchar's part, of course – it almost seemed as if you were being pressured into joining with him."

He heard some of our conversation?

"Please understand, we don't mean to sound accusatory."

'Well done there.'

"We just want to make sure that you are here because you want to be. Just know, if there's anything that you need to _tell_ us, you can come and see us, alright?"

Something about the way he emphasized that made it obvious what he was implying. It seemed he was already suspicious about my situation. With both Rowkin and Wigglytuff's eyes gauging my reaction, it was all I could do not to let my anxiety betray our story. The only response I could offer was a nod, and I hoped it would be enough to put a stop to their interrogation.

"Okay. Just remember that the Guildmaster and I will be here for all of our apprentices. For now, you're dismissed. Feel free to return to your friend. I believe Chet was looking forward to meeting you as well."

"So long, friendly friend!" Wigglytuff's _friendly_ demeanor suddenly returned. "Starting tomorrow, your training will begin, so enjoy the rest of the day!"

Nodding again, I walked out of the cramped office, closing the door behind me. Looking around, I didn't see Sonchar anywhere, so I figured he must have gone upstairs or perhaps a different room. My first reaction was to retreat to our room where I could avoid any more scrutinizing eyes. Yet, that would only arouse further suspicion from the guild's leadership, and I imagined Sonchar was likely waiting for me to return. Pushing aside my worry, I took the ladder up to the first basement floor.

As soon my head was over the top step, I spotted Sonchar at one of the corners of the large room alongside Chet. The latter seemed to be explaining something to my partner. I made my way over to the two of them, gaining their attention.

"Kamon!" Sonchar greeted with a much more welcome enthusiasm than before. "What was that all about?" he asked, concern overtaking his previous relief.

" _It was nothing,_ " I lied.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, not believing my answer. "You look a little shaky…"

" _Sorry, I don't want to talk about it here. I'll tell you about it later when others aren't around._ "

"Oh, okay." Sonchar seemed to understand my caution, but continued in a hushed voice, "Was it something bad?"

"I don't know. Look, we'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Alright," he nodded. "So, uh, anyway…" His attention returned to Chet, who appeared to be patiently waiting for us to finish. If he was annoyed with Sonchar being pulled away, he didn't show it. "Chet, this is Kamon, which you probably heard me say."

"Yup yup, I remember," Chet answered. "And I'm Chet the Bidoof. It's nice to meet ya. I'd shake hands, but that ain't very easy for us four-legged 'mons." Hearing Sonchar's giggle, I assumed that was an attempt at a joke. "But uh, your buddy here told me about your, uh, condition, was it? So don't worry, I understand, yup yup."

Unsure how to respond, I glanced toward Sonchar, who jumped in for me. "He says thanks and nice to meet you."

"Yup yup," Chet repeated with his slightly absent smile.

"Oh, uh, he can be a little shy," Sonchar added, sensing my uncertainty in the situation. "Give him a little time, and he'll be more talkative. Or, well… you know what I mean."

I wasn't quite sure how I felt about Sonchar taking it upon himself to speak for me so much. On the one hand, it made me feel like I was being coddled, that I was unable to function in a normal setting. But on the other, well, that was more or less the case. I didn't know what to do or how I should be reacting in these casual, social settings. It seemed as if I would have to get used to relying on Sonchar to help me through even the most basic, every-day scenarios, at least if I had any hope of not drawing attention to us.

"So, Chet," Sonchar redirected his attention. "You were telling me about the boards and stuff? Should we, uh, bring Kamon up to speed now?"

"Yup yup!" Chet answered. "Ain't a problem, I'd be happy to. This here board's the basic job bulletin board. That's where they put up all sorts'a job requests."

" _What sorts of jobs are they?_ " I asked, deciding to actually involve myself in the conversation.

Sonchar repeated my question for the Bidoof, who answered, "Well, let's see. They got the usual rescue missions for the Pokémon that went and got themselves stranded. We've also got little errands, like finding some sorta item they lost while they were exploring. Those are usually the easy ones."

"And the hard ones are?" Sonchar asked.

"Well, some 'mons like to go explorin', but ain't very good at it. So, they'll come and hire one of us to chaperone 'em through a dungeon. That way, they can have a little excitement while not havin' ta worry about gettin' back safe. I, uh, may 'a done it a couple 'a times before comin' here?" Chet chuckled nervously.

"Haha, no worries," Sonchar reassured. "I might've needed a rescue once or twice."

" _'Twice?'_ " I repeated, having only heard one story.

"But hey, that's why we're in training, right?"

"Yup yup," Chet answered with what must be his catchphrase. "We ain't gonna get better unless we work at it. And we get ta' help some others out while we're at it!"

Either Sonchar's positivity was as infectious as I thought, or the Bidoof shared the same optimism.

"Anyway, thinkin' we should go over ta the other board now," Bidoof said, directing us to the corner on the other side of the ladder.

"Is it different than this one?" Sonchar asked.

"Yup. This one here's the outlaw notice board."

"What do you mean 'outlaws?'" Sonchar asked nervously.

"It's where we get bounties from Officer Magnezone. Lots'a shady types like ta stir up trouble, and when they get a lead on 'em, the officers will ask the guild for help in catchin' them."

" _What do they do when they capture them?_ " I asked.

"They get put in jail for the crimes they committed," Sonchar answered me.

" _Wait. You just lock them away? Why would you do that to someone?_ "

"Well, they're criminals!" Sonchar answered as if it was obvious. "They don't just arrest anybody for no reason."

"That's right," Chet chimed in. "These 'mons have done all sorts'a things ta disturb the peace. Some'a them stole things, some've hurt others. And some'a them've even done other unspeakable things."

"Like what?" Sonchar gulped.

"Well, ya know… I think y'all can use your imagination." Sonchar shivered. "But don't worry! They only send the most experienced teams after those outlaws. Not common, inexperienced 'mons like us."

" _What do they do when they're imprisoned?_ " I asked. " _Are they… are they tortured, or 'experimented on,' like what would happen with…_ " I shuddered as my mind returned to the dark thoughts from before. The idea of putting another into that situation was enough to make me nauseous.

"What?" Sonchar gasped as he finished my thought in his own head. "No, of course not! They would never do that!"

" _How could you be sure?_ " I demanded. " _If they would do all those things just because of what I was, why wouldn't they do it to someone who has done "unspeakable things?"_ "

"Because that's not what they do!"

I could only look at him in disbelief at his answer.

"Excuse me," somebody interjected. The three of us turned to the source of the voice and saw Isabelle facing towards us. "Would you mind if I answered him?"

"No problem, ma'am," Chet politely answered. "Please do."

"So, I didn't hear what Kamon was thinking, but I'm guessing it was something pretty bad?"

Sonchar nodded for me.

"I figured as much. Listen to me, sweetie," Isabelle said in an attempt to sound soothing. "We don't lock people up just because we like to or because we want to punish them, you see? We only do it as a way to try to deter other people from doing the same thing. And when we capture them, we try our best to rehabilitate them so when they come back, they hopefully won't be a threat to others or themselves. Do you understand?"

It… made sense. I guess. However, the thought of holding somebody against their will like that made my skin crawl. After all, how would they know if the person being chased was really guilty? Or… what if their reasons for their actions were for the best of intentions? I asked these questions to Sonchar, who relayed them to Isabelle.

"Well, the system isn't perfect," Chimeco answered sympathetically. "Sometimes, we make mistakes, and people are wrongly accused. But usually, the people we bring in have already been found to be guilty, so in the majority of the cases, we are bringing in criminals."

" _And the other cases?_ "

"Like I said, the system isn't perfect," Isabelle answered after Sonchar relayed my question. "That's why we like to try to bring them in peacefully if we can."

"She's right, Kamon," Sonchar added. "It's not ideal, but it's the best we're able to do."

I snorted derisively. Perhaps I was being too harsh, but I was bothered by what seemed to be the nonchalance towards those that didn't deserve those sentences. Yet, I couldn't think of anything to say in response. Most of what they said sounded reasonable. I wasn't sure why exactly I felt so outraged by what was probably, or hopefully, a rare occurrence.

Sonchar sighed in relief when I seemed to back off. I was confused at first, but then realized I probably wasn't helping my case earlier. With Rowkin suspecting we were hiding something, it wasn't wise to sympathize with potential criminals in a sudden, emotional response. I felt it better if I kept my figurative mouth shut before I drew even more attention.

"So, uh…" Chet awkwardly attempted to transition. "We're prob'ly done here, right? How 'bout we go back downstairs, and I show you fellas the Swap Cauldron?"

Sonchar looked to me, silently asking if I was okay with that. I nodded my agreement, but kept my gaze mostly to the ground.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Sonchar answered. "Let's go."

The next few hours were spent with Chet continuing his thorough tour of the guild. While Rowkin gave a brief description of the main areas of interest, Chet really got into explaining every aspect of each room and station (the details of which having various amounts of usefulness). Somehow, despite the uncomfortableness of the scene I caused, the Bidoof really seemed to be enjoying himself as he shared his knowledge with us.

Chet's tour was interrupted briefly by the two sentries that greeted us upon our arrival. "Hey guys!" the Bidoof hollered at the duo.

"Hey Chet," one of them returned the greeting. He appeared to be a mole, but only half of his brown body was visible. The other half, where I figured all his limbs were, appeared to be underground, but as he burrowed towards us, the ground behind him somehow remained undisturbed. I was going to question it, until I noticed that nobody else seemed perturbed by it, so I kept my mouth shut. Once again, figuratively.

"What are you up to?" the other said, nearly bursting my eardrums with his loud voice. This one had a somewhat large, purple, almost square-shaped body. Its mouth appeared to cover almost half its entire upper body, which explained his voice volume. Somehow, he also had two large, circular ears that appeared to be immune to it.

"Just giving the newbies a tour 'a the place," Chet answered proudly.

"'Newbies,' huh?" the loud one responded. Sonchar also seemed to cringe at the loudness of its voice. Chet must have gotten more or less used to it, as he only winced slightly.

"Yup!" Bidoof answered. "Oh, I should introduce ya, shouldn't I? These're our sentries, Louis the Loudred and Dominic the Diglett."

While I didn't recognize their species, it was easy to figure out which was which based on the context of the names. I wasn't sure if the alliteration was intentional, but I assumed it was coincidental, seeing as how they were the first two I'd met with that trend.

"And these here are Kamon the Riolu, and Sonchar the Chimchar."

"Nice to meet you guys," Sonchar said, extending his hand to the Loudred.

"Likewise," Louis shouted as he shook Sonchar's hand. "And since Chet forgot to mention, it's 'Sentry Loudred' and 'Sentry Diglett' when we're on duty. Gotta keep up formalities and all." I wasn't sure if the wince Sonchar made this time was due to the voice or the Loudred's grip, but I suppressed my glare as Sonchar managed a nod.

"It's nice to meet you too," Dominic added. "You can call me Dominic or Dom, by the way. Either is okay, as long as we're not on duty, like he said. Oh, and Chet, have you seen my dad recently?"

"Uh oh, he forget to update the boards again?" Chet asked.

"It looks like it. Once again, I need to go remind him to take care of that."

"Sorry buddy, I ain't seen him around."

"That's just great," Dominic sighed. "Sorry to cut this short, Kamon and Sonchar. I'm sure I'll be able to get to know you guys another time. But I've gotta go take care of this. See you guys later."

"Good luck!" Chet said his farewell as the Diglett burrowed under the ground. Once again, I was the only one that showed any shock as the ground that held him returned to its previous state as if he was never there.

"So, um…" Sonchar started, looking toward his hand that was still in Louis's grasp. "Could I, uh, get my hand ba-"

"I knew it!" the Loudred cut Sonchar off, finally releasing him in the process. "You're the guy that keeps on running from the gate whenever we open it for you!"

"Eep!" Sonchar yelped in surprise.

"What did you think you were doing? Think we wouldn't recognize a false stepper when we see one?"

"A what?"

"Don't 'what' me! Somebody who thinks they can try and mess around on our footstep grate."

"I didn't exactly know-"

"Don't be a little smartass!" Louis interrupted again. "Tell me what you think you were doing."

"I-I'm sorry, okay? I just got nervous and backed out! I wasn't meaning to cause trouble!"

I started approaching the Loudred to make him back off when another voice shouted, "Keep it down!" All of us looked to see an irritated Rowkin stepping outside the Guildmaster's office. "Your voice is ridiculously loud!"

"S-sorry, Rowkin," Louis backed down. I supposed that took care of the problem.

"If you have some sort of an issue with your guildmates, then solve it quietly or take it outside away from the guild. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," Chet, Louis, and Sonchar answered in unison.

"Hmph." Rowkin, finished with his admonishment, fluttered up the ladder and left the four of us as we were.

"Guess I kinda got carried away there, huh?" Louis said much more quietly.

"Oh, uh, no harm done?" Sonchar responded unsurely.

"Don't get me wrong. The ditching was annoying, but I was honestly just giving you a hard time. But anyway, I've gotta go find Dom before he rips his dad a new one or three, ya know? See ya little rookies later!"

The Loudred made his way up the stairs, likely due to the ladder not being able to support his frame.

"Sorry 'bout Louis," Chet apologized with an embarrassed grimace. "He can be a little blunt sometimes, especially with rookies like us."

"It's no big deal," Sonchar said uncertainly. "But I probably didn't make a good first impression, huh?"

" _I think we're one for six in that regard so far,_ " I added sarcastically.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Sonchar laughed after counting with his fingers.

"What's so funny?" Chet asked, not hearing my comment.

"Nothing, just something he said," Sonchar decided not to answer.

"So, uh, I think that about does it with the tour of the place. Guess now, we can just hang out till dinner?"

"Yeah, probably. Does that sound good, Kamon?"

Thinking of nothing else we could be doing, I nodded in agreement.

The three of us spent the rest of the day in my and Sonchar's dorm relaxing and talking. Well, the two of them talked, mostly about the Bidoof's experiences in the guild and what Sonchar looked forward to experiencing, while I listened. I wasn't bothered being mostly an observer in the conversations. But Sonchar would still try to make sure I was included, asking me what I thought about things or making comments directly to me, and of course relaying my contributions to the Bidoof. Although unnecessary, I did appreciate my partner's consideration, while hoping my presence wasn't more of a burden.

Eventually, a bell chime was heard, followed by a familiar voice. "Dinner is ready!" Isabelle announced.

"Guess it's about time to get some grub," Chet confirmed.

"Awesome! I'm starving!" Sonchar exclaimed. "Let's go, Kamon!"

The three of us left the room and made our way to the mess hall where we were summoned. A few Pokémon were already seated inside, while others were entering behind us. Most of the Pokémon I recognized, although there were a few that we had yet to meet.

"Omigosh!" a feminine voice shrieked from behind, making us jump. "You two must be the new guildies! You are just the cutest rookies ever!" The owner of this new voice was essentially a talking sunflower. The green leaves that acted as her arms were pressed up against her face as she squealed in her, how do I put it… endearment of the two of us.

"Uh, thanks?" Sonchar responded, confident as ever.

"Omigosh, I'm sorry!" the bipedal flower squealed in embarrassment. "Lewey, you didn't tell me these two were so young!"

"Lewey?" Sonchar asked.

"I told you, 'small and wimpy,'" said the Loudred in question as he wrapped an arm around what would be the flower's shoulders were she more humanoid. "I think that describes them to a T, wouldn't you say, Daisy?"

"Oh, stop being such a jerk, Lewey," the flower, or Daisy as I heard, gently smacked the Loudred's arm from her. " _And I told you, don't do that in public!_ " she scolded less quietly than she probably intended.

" _Sorry, babe._ " Did I even need to mention Louis's failure at discretion?

"I'm Daisy the Sunflora, by the way," Daisy said. "And I know. My parents thought they were really original when they came up with my name."

"Preach it, sister!" Isabelle chimed in as she was setting plates on the dinner table.

"So, what are you two-"

"Hey hey!" came another shout from the previous room. "You guys are blocking the door! Move it!" This voice belonged to a red crustacean, who passed beside the couple and scuttled toward an open seat on the table, paying us no mind.

The others followed suit, each claiming an open seat. I also saw Dominic pop out of the ground into a spot missing a chair, along with another Pokémon similar to him. Only this one appeared to be three Diglett's attached at the hip fighting for their spot out of the hole they were sprouting from. I decided it best not to vocalize my questions about the two (or four?) moles. Not only would it draw attention to me being an outsider, but it would probably be a little rude.

"Please take a seat," Rowkin ordered, snapping me out of my possibly offensive daydreaming.

Sonchar and I nodded, and walked to the far end of the table to a couple of open seats next to Chet. With us seated, all the seats were taken, save for a few next to and across from us. The table itself was holding all sorts of different foods, all of which were some sort of fruit or vegetation, and more than enough for us all many times over.

"Now, before we eat," Rowkin announced, "I have a quick announcement to make."

"Oh, come on!" Louis shouted. "We're starving over here!"

"Yeah, it's been a long day!" the crustacean added. "Let us eat, hey hey!"

"Silence!" Rowkin ordered, rolling his eyes as if it were routine. "It'll only take a moment." Once the jeering settled, the Chatot continued. "Now, as I'm sure you've all figured out, we have a couple of new faces here at the guild. Sonchar and Kamon here, the Chimchar and Riolu respectively, are our newest recruits."

"Hi, Sonchar and Kamon!" the guildmates greeted, including the ones who had already met us for some reason.

"Please be willing to offer any help or advice when asked. And of course, don't give them any intentionally bad advice when they do ask you." Rowkin glared toward Louis as he said the last part. The offended Loudred responded with an indignant huff, which the Chatot ignored as he continued. "Also, please be courteous, as Kamon is unable to speak vocally, save for a telepathic connection he has with Sonchar. If there's anything you need to say, Sonchar will act as his interpreter."

I shrank in my seat as all eyes were suddenly on me. So much for not standing out. Sensing my discomfort, Sonchar placed a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to reassure me.

Possibly realizing the situation, Rowkin cleared his throat and concluded, "Now, without further ado, on your marks, get set…"

"Let's eat!" the table chanted. No longer interested in me, the guildmates turned their pitying gazes to the food in front of them as they began to devour their food. As I watched them demolish their meals, I somehow began to doubt there would really be enough. Louis and Chet alone seemed to have massive appetites, and Dominic's father, of course, had three mouths to feed.

"You better eat too, Kamon," Sonchar whispered as he nudged me. "Or else they might clear it all out before you can."

Nodding as I realized he was right, I grabbed an apple, a couple oran berries, and some strange vegetables I had never seen before onto my plate, and slowly began eating my meal.

" _Do they have this much food all the time?_ " I asked incredulously.

"I think so," Sonchar answered. He seemed to be in almost as much disbelief, but was enjoying his meal nonetheless.

The food itself was tasty and nourishing, but as I ate, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing, like there was something else I was craving. Yet, at the same time, a part of me felt relieved about what I had in front of me. I felt dread as I realized what exactly it was my body was craving, which made me lose a little bit of my appetite. Sonchar gave me a slightly concerned look, but I shook my head and resumed eating.

" _Just more food than I'm used to seeing, I think._ "

Sonchar's expression shifted from concerned to confused. I realized that what I said made no sense, considering my memory went as far back as the previous day. To my relief, Sonchar smiled and said, "Yeah, me too. Let's make sure to enjoy it."

"Sonchar and Kamon," Rowkin called. "I hope you are enjoying your time in the guild so far. Starting tomorrow, your training will begin. Make sure you eat well and get to bed early tonight, as we start our morning huddle just after dawn. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" Sonchar exclaimed, as he began to really dig in to his food. As always, his excitement was contagious, causing me to smile as I did the same.

* * *

Author's Notes

Just got another couple chapters in my buffer finished, so I will be able to maintain my schedule for at least the next two updates. As for this chapter, which is my longest one so far, amongst all the angst we get to meet the guildmates. Obviously, we got to know some more than others, and this chapter is a pretty good indication of how prominently they will be featured. As for Chet, I was pretty hesitant to use the "bumpkin" type of dialogue for him, as I didn't want to make him a stereotype. But as it just so happens, two of my beta readers happen to be from Texas where many of their friends and families speak with that type of drawl, and told me I actually wasn't doing enough. with it. So, as you can see, southern Bidoof is here to stay. I am also keeping the others mostly true to how they were in game, exaggerating them a bit here and there. I am also just full on shipping Loudred and Sunflora, which was only sort of hinted at in one of the Special Episodes. And those who were mentioned but not named in this chapter will be named in the next couple chapters.

You also may noticed that I decided to change around the orders of some of the events in game and which members do certain things. I just figured it would make sense that the duo wouldn't be kept away from their soon-to-be colleagues when they're already living together, so this would be a good time to introduce them. And those who have played the first Special Episode also know how much Bidoof was looking forward to having some new buddies to show around, so I decided to give him a much more prominent role in team Blazing Aura's training overall. He'll also be one of the most prominent characters overall, so I'm hoping his mannerisms don't become annoying at all.

As for an editing note, this chapter was written literally over a month after the previous one when I was in a full on lazy mode. With the delay as well as the size compared to all the previous chapters, as well as my inability to proofread my own damn work, this one really put my prime beta to work. As always, I thank her for her assistance. I also thank you guys for reading. And as always, please feel free to leave any comments and feedback. It really is appreciated!


	8. Thank You for Sticking by Me

Shortly after dinner, my partner and I took the Chatot's advice and decided to get to bed. I didn't complain, as it was a long, eventful day. I was honestly drained more mentally than physically after all the tense moments with the guildmates and leaders, not to mention my overall paranoia. Sonchar, of course, was still a bundle of excitement over what was awaiting us the next day, but I could tell that even he was ready to wind down for the evening.

Sonchar released a contagious yawn as he approached the bed on the far side of the room. That left me with the bed that was closest to the door, which I probably would have insisted on taking if he had claimed it instead. Even though the Pokémon here all appeared friendly, or at least nonthreatening, I felt more comfortable knowing I would be the first line of defense in the case that any trouble came our way. Once again, I was left wondering where these thoughts came from, and I was grateful that Sonchar made the choice to leave my bed open so that I wouldn't have to explain my precautions to him. Not to mention, I couldn't guess whether he would appreciate the protective gesture or be insulted if he believed that I didn't think he could take care of himself. Nevertheless, I took a seat on my bed and stretched out before lying down, seeing my partner doing the same on his own bed.

"Hey Kamon," Sonchar called quietly. "Now that everyone else is away, think you can tell me what was bothering you earlier?"

I had to stop myself from responding by saying "which time?" after the long day we had. But I knew exactly what he was talking about and thought that playing dumb would be rude. He wanted to know what Rowkin and the Guildmaster had to say when they called me into the latter's office alone. I didn't want to revisit that, not only because of the stress that moment caused, but also because of what Rowkin implied about Sonchar. How would he react if I told him what they thought he was doing?

"Did you not wanna tell me?" Sonchar asked, sensing my hesitation. I could see the look of dejection he was trying to hide.

" _No, I do_ ," I answered. " _I told you I would tell you. I won't go back on what I said._ "

"Are you sure? You don't have to if you really don't want to."

" _I know, but I probably should. Besides, it does concern you, so it wouldn't be fair to keep it to myself._ "

"What do you mean?"

" _I think Rowkin and Wigglytuff are onto us._ "

"W-what makes you say that?" Sonchar asked, almost panicked. The room became a bit brighter as I noticed his tail-flame burning. Realizing what he was doing, he lessened the intensity and the room began to dim again.

" _He told me, 'If there's anything you want to_ _ **tell**_ _us, we are here for you.' I could be reading too much into it, but the way he emphasized that word made me certain._ "

"Was that all he said?" Sonchar whispered. "Did he, uh- did he ask about anything else or say anything about, uh… you know?"

" _You mean about me being human?_ " Sonchar nodded. " _No, he didn't say anything to suggest that. All I know is he is suspicious about something, but I don't think he's onto me about that._ "

"Well, that's good at least," Sonchar sighed in relief. "So, was there anything else he said?"

" _Yeah…_ " I answered. " _There was another thing._ "

"What is it?" Sonchar asked, patient but anticipating.

" _Rowkin apparently heard some of our conversation just before we met him. Of course, that only included what you were saying. And he thought that you were pressuring me into joining when I didn't want to._ "

"Oh…" Sonchar paused, but then continued, "D-do you feel that way, though?"

" _Maybe at the moment, I did?_ " I shrugged.

"I see…" Sonchar responded, looking hurt.

" _Don't worry,_ " I attempted to reassure. " _I do think it was the right thing to do. I was a little panicky at that moment, I guess. I am glad that we went through with it, though._ "

"But are you sure?" Sonchar pressed. "He may have had a point. I mean, I was sort of pushy about it."

" _Yeah, I am. This… This is probably the best situation I could be in, all things considered. And…_ "

"Yes?"

" _Well,_ " I took a breath and continued, " _I just wanted to… to say thanks._ "

"You don't owe me any-"

" _For everything,_ " I continued. " _For helping me when you saw me out cold before. For believing all the crazy things I said about myself, that I still don't even understand. And for sticking by me when I would be lost and alone otherwise. I don't know what would have happened to me if it were anyone else that stumbled upon me, or what they would have done when they realized what I was. But I'm lucky that it was you. I really am. So, just… thank you._ "

I took another breath after finally getting it all out there. A tense moment of silence followed where Sonchar seemed to take it all in, before he smiled and responded.

"Thank you too."

" _For what?_ " I snorted. " _You've done everything for me, and haven't asked for a thing in return._ "

"Not true at all," he answered confidently. "Like I told you, I really don't think I'd be able to do this if you weren't with me. I-I'm not the most brave person there is."

" _You handled yourself pretty well so far,_ " I argued.

"And that's because I know I've got you behind me. But the truth is, I'm scared, Kamon."

" _About what? You seemed like you were barely containing your excitement when Rowkin told us we were starting our training tomorrow._ "

"And I am excited. But I guess… I'm scared that I'll fail, you know? I know I'm not the most capable Pokémon, so I'm worried that I'm gonna do something to mess up. Like, uh, making a bad impression when training tomorrow and get us kicked out of the guild. Or, when we are on the job, if I did something to get you or another Pokémon that was depending on us hurt, you know?"

" _I don't know. I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. Hell, I'm the one that almost got the two of us into trouble numerous times already before you jumped in to help me._ "

"Hey, anyone in your position would be at least a little on edge. It's the least I can do to try to help you fit in when you're not used to this place yet."

" _And it seems that's all you've been doing is helping me,_ " I sighed. " _I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make you feel pity for me. I just don't like the feeling of taking so much from you and not being able to do anything in return._ "

"Look, Kamon," Sonchar assertively called to me.

As I looked up, I saw the same reassuring expression he gave when I was down on myself during the previous afternoon. When I was attempting to back out of joining him because I realized I would be a burden to him.

"I think we should stop feeling like we owe each other something. I mean, whether you believe me or not, you are doing a lot more than you realize just by sticking by me too. I, uh… haven't really had a lot of people who were willing to do that for me, you know?"

I wanted to ask him about that, but thought it wasn't the best time. Instead, I opted to continue listening.

"So, uh, how about instead of working together because we feel obligated or whatever, we just do it because we're friends?"

Friends? It felt like an appropriate way to describe what we were, and it was a concept that made sense to me in theory. But it seemed like something I hadn't experienced a lot in my previous life. And a part of me, something I couldn't really rationalize, even felt guilty feeling that way about my partner. Still, it felt right to say, and I couldn't help the small smile that formed after hearing him say it.

" _Yeah,_ " I answered. " _I think we could do that._ "

Sonchar, much less bashful about his feelings, beamed at my response. I had to suppress a snicker, instead letting my own smile show.

"Well, I think that's enough mushiness for the night," the Chimchar teased.

" _Probably,_ " I chuckled.

"We should probably get to sleep," Sonchar yawned. "It's probably gonna be a long day."

" _Yeah, we should,_ " I said, once again falling victim to the contagion and releasing a yawn of my own. " _Goodnight, Sonchar._ "

"Goodnight, Kamon."

Having gotten out what we needed, the two of us finally laid our heads down to rest. Sonchar drifted off much sooner than I did, I noticed, as I heard soft snores coming from his bed and saw that his tail-flame had extinguished, leaving the room dark, other than the moon and stars shining through the window. Much like the previous night, I found myself unable to get to sleep. Instead, I laid in my own bed the next few hours really taking in everything that had happened the last couple days.

A dry chuckle escaped me as I realized those last two days were all I remembered of my life. Well, that didn't include the little bits of information I did recall when mentioned by someone else, or the familiar feelings in very specific incidents.

For instance, the dread I felt when I realized I was craving some sort of meat while we ate dinner was still in the back of my mind. Granted, this concept also made sense in my mind. Humans, as far as I knew, had always been omnivorous beings, and many Pokémon were much the same (judging by the canines in my mouth, it made sense that Riolu were hunters). And many Pokémon in the dungeon Sonchar and I visited were essentially wild beasts with no sentience. At least, that was the impression I got as we passed through. Then, back in Treasure Town, I recalled seeing at least a couple of the same types of Pokémon I had seen in the Beach Cave. However, they didn't appear to be the same primitive creatures protecting their territory from trespassers like us. What exactly was the difference between the Pokémon in society and the wild ones we encountered in the dungeon? Or did it have less to do with the Pokémon themselves and more about the environment they lived in? And would it have been right to prey on those Pokémon for my own sustenance as if they weren't living, thinking creatures?

Though that was easily the darkest, there were many other subjects that came to mind throughout my sleeplessness. I also thought back to when Sonchar casually mentioned the distortions in time and space, though he was even less specific than that and seemed unsure of what he was talking about. But something about that immediately rang some sort of a bell (one that wasn't a Pokémon, I scoffed), along with the segregation between my former species and my current one. And speaking of which, how did I even become what I was anyway? According to Sonchar, such a thing was unheard of. Granted, Sonchar was still a pretty young Pokémon, so perhaps it was possible there were cases he hadn't heard of, though I still wasn't going to get my hopes up that there was another like me.

My mind continued to race with all sorts of different topics in varying degrees of detail and concern. I even spent many minutes worrying I wouldn't get any rest, and had to stop myself from laughing at the irony of that. I supposed I was able to function _mostly_ well enough after getting little sleep the previous night. Nevertheless, I slowly found myself drifting off to sleep hours after my partner – no, my _friend_ fell asleep.

If anything, I should have been more worried that I wouldn't be able to wake myself up in time for the morning huddle Rowkin mentioned. But Sonchar would have gotten much more rest by that point, so he would be able to get me up just fine.

"WAKE UP, ROOKIES! YOU'RE LATE!"

* * *

Author's Notes

Kamon and Sonchar got a couple things out that needed to be said, and both are eagerly awaiting what the next day will bring. This was originally going to be a small addition to the previous chapter, but it ended up going a bit longer than intended, so I decided to make it my first little fluff chapter.

I'd like to say this will be the final exposition chapter, but we have one more. However, it will be split between a little action and some more characterization for non-main characters. I swear, I never anticipated the introductions and exposition to take almost six full chapters. But I am at least glad that I took some time to get to know my characters as well as (hopefully) properly building up the world. I've also got a couple more chapters in my buffer, so I'll make sure the next one gets posted on schedule. And here's hoping I can retain the motivation I've had this last month!


	9. Smiles Go for Miles

(The next morning…)

I jumped to my feet from the shout, immediately in a fighting stance. A quick glance behind me showed me that Sonchar was still on his bed cringing with his hands over his ears, but otherwise unharmed. Turning back, my form faltered as I was faced with a monstrous void threatening to swallow me whole.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" the void that was Louis's mouth shouted, noisy for even the Loudred's standards. "You rookies are about to miss the morning huddle!"

"Wait, w-what?!" Sonchar gasped, coming to as he realized the reason for the rude awakening.

"You heard me! If you miss it, the Guildmaster is gonna be livid! And believe me, you DON'T wanna see that!"

"W-what'll happen…?" Sonchar dared to ask. Personally, the thought of a threatening Wigglytuff would have been laughable if I wasn't fighting down a headache from the sentry's obnoxious shouting.

"He'll…" the Loudred shuddered. "I'd rather not talk about it. Neither will you if you see it, so get your furry and flaming asses up and in gear!" Vulgar command issued, the Loudred stomped his way out of the room.

"Oh no, Kamon! We slept in! We've gotta go!"

" _Can I run to the bathroom first really qui-_ "

"What?! No! We gotta go now before we're late! Come on!"

" **Yeep!** " In his panic, Sonchar grabbed onto my wrist and yanked me along with him down the corridor towards the assembly hall ('Guess I'll hold it for now'). Once we stumbled into the room, all eyes of the guildmates were on us. Some had looks of sympathy, likely having heard the Loudred's chastising. A couple of them were rolling their eyes, and I sensed they were looking down on us as lazy slackers.

"H-hey, everyone?" Sonchar painfully tried to play it off.

"You're LATE, rookies!" Either unable to read the situation or intentionally making it even worse, the Loudred felt it necessary to put us on the spot even more. He received a slight smack from Daisy's petal of a limb as admonishment.

" _Let's just get in line,_ " I said, suppressing a dagger-shooting glare that would be aimed at the loud-mouthed sentry. Sonchar nodded, and the two of us found a spot at the right end of the two-lined formation the guildmates were standing in.

"Sorry 'bout Louis," Chet whispered next to me. "He gets his kicks hazin' the newbies. Used ta be me he'd be givin' grief to."

"Thanks, but we're fine," Sonchar whispered his reassurance. I nodded in agreement as the Bidoof shifted his concerned expression toward me.

All eyes were turned towards the Guildmaster's office as the sound of the door opening was heard. "Greetings, apprentices," Rowkin said as he and Wigglytuff stepped through the door. "Before we begin our morning briefing, Louis, I'd like to say that if you bring this mountain down around us, I will personally come back as a ghost type and haunt you until the end of time."

"Oh, come on!" said Loudred complained. "Wasn't MY fault the newbies slept in!"

"You are correct, but that doesn't mean I should need to cover my own ears while I'm three rooms away. These wings aren't built for blocking out sound. So, next time, PLEASE keep it down a little."

"Was only trying to keep the idiots outta trouble, sheesh…" Louis grumbled, realizing he was getting no support from the Lieutenant or his girlfriend. I may have had to hide a smirk of satisfaction seeing him get chewed out for once.

"Now then," Rowkin cleared his throat. "For most of you, it will be business as usual. Isabelle, Douglas, and Sentries Diglett and Loudred, you will attend to your standard duties. For our dedicated explorers, Daisy and Frank, you are free to check the Job Bulletin and Outlaw Notice Boards, provided they are properly updated today." The Chatot cast a glance at Dominic's father(s?), who responded with simultaneous expressions of irritation, embarrassment, and resentment. "As for you, Jameson, the Guildmaster and I are going to need this downstairs facility, so you can take the day off, or you may check the job boards if you wish. And Chet, we have a task that we'd like you to take care of, and then you can take the rest of the day off as well. Isabelle will provide the details to you."

"Guessin' it'll be another errand run?" the Bidoof asked with a look of dejection.

"For now, yes," Rowkin answered sympathetically. "Don't worry, Chet. Depending on how things go, we may have another important task for you. However, today, we will be assessing our newest additions of team Blazing Aura."

Sonchar perked up at this, but managed to stay quiet to avoid causing more of a disruption.

"And speaking of Sonchar and Kamon," Rowkin continued, "why don't we show them our morning cheer? Isabelle, if you would kindly lead us this morning?"

Sonchar and I looked at each other confused, and then to the Chimeco.

"Don't worry, guys," Isabelle reassured. "Just listen for now, and then you can follow along next time, okay? If everybody's ready, ahem… A one! A two! A one-two-three!"

The entire guild shouted in unison, "One! Don't shirk work! Two! Run away and pay! Three! Smiles go for miles!"

"Okay, Pokémon," Rowkin called. "Get to work!"

The rally finished, the guild Pokémon joyfully dispersed. Chet attempted a wave with a front leg, saying, "Good luck, fellas!" before he followed his guildmates. That left Sonchar, the guild leadership, and myself behind.

"So, um…" Sonchar started to say before Rowkin piped up.

"Yes, you two," Rowkin hopped toward us. "I hear you two were a little late in joining your guildmates."

"S-sorry," Sonchar lowered his head. "We, uh, slept in. I-it was a pretty exciting last couple of days, you know?"

" _Most exciting days I can remember,_ " I joked. Judging by the glare, he didn't seem to appreciate the attempt at lightening the mood.

Rowkin made a confused glance at me, and then turned back to the speaker of our team. "I can imagine, and it seems that Louis grilled you two enough." Sonchar and I both did a double-take at his response, but he continued. "However, it is essential that all guildmates are punctual when it comes to guild routines and duties. I'm sure you two understand and won't let it happen again."

"Of course, sir."

I nodded in agreement.

"With that settled, it's time to see what you two recruits are capable of. I understand you two are already familiar with mystery dungeons, based on what you told me yesterday about the Beach Cave?"

"Y-yeah, we are," Sonchar answered slightly nervously, perhaps recalling getting chastised for that very thing.

"Splendid. That, along with Chet's tour of the facility, will make things much quicker and easier. For now, the Guildmaster and I would like to see what you can do on the field. If you are ready, Guildmaster?"

"Yippy!" Wigglytuff shouted. I almost forgot that he was there with how silent he was up until now. "Show us what you got, and don't go easy!"

"Y-you want us to attack you?!" Sonchar said in disbelief. I was also unsure about this. However, looking at Rowkin, I saw that he didn't seem to be caught off guard by the Guildmaster's order, and was observing as if this was standard procedure.

"Yep!" Wigglytuff answered simply. "Don't worry, I'll be fine! Just show us each of your attacks, and we'll go from there!"

"Okay, uh… ready?"

"Yep! Give me your best shot!" Wigglytuff answered confidently.

"Alright, um… how should I start?" Sonchar asked hesitantly. Rowkin covered his face with a wing in frustration.

" _Just use a scratch attack?_ " I suggested.

"O-okay. Here it goes." Sonchar readied himself, hands planted on the ground as he stood in his fighting stance. With as much confidence as he could muster, Sonchar charged the Guildmaster and gave a light swipe across his large abdomen, nails barely exposed. The only evidence of the halfhearted attack was Wigglytuff's belly bouncing a little from the momentum.

"Boo!" the Guildmaster jeered. "You can do better than that!" Somehow, even when criticizing, he still sounded upbeat as ever. "Try again, friend!"

Gulping, Sonchar approached on all fours again, and gave a more forceful swipe with his "claws" extended. He backed up instantly with a look of near panic, even if the Guildmaster was clearly no worse for wear.

"Much better!" the Guildmaster praised. "I might have even gotten a small cut from that?"

"Th-thanks?" Sonchar scratched his head. Even I couldn't tell if Wigglytuff was being condescending or genuinely complimentary.

"It still seemed as if you held back a little," Rowkin pointed out. "I understand, and even appreciate, your hesitancy in attacking the Guildmaster, especially if he's not threatening or fighting back. But believe me when I say, and understand that I say this with no criticism on your part, that he is in no danger. In fact, of the three of you, you two are more likely to be hurt by his belly recoiling."

" _Did he actually tell a joke?_ " I said, caught off guard by the Chatot's teasing.

Wigglytuff gave a pout and turned his head in defiance. "Meanie..."

Rowkin chuckled. "But we've seen enough of that basic attack. As I'm sure you know, though, you are capable of unleashing a flurry of scratches on an enemy, or as we call it, 'Fury Swipes.' It can be an effective way of overwhelming an enemy. However, I suggest only using it if you think you can bring your enemy down, and not while you are surrounded by multiple foes, as it is somewhat reckless and may tire you out quickly."

"Understood," Sonchar nodded attentively.

"Now, Kamon," Rowkin called. "Feel free to show us what you can do."

I nodded and stepped forward, one foot in front of the other as I prepared myself. "And don't hold back like our friend!" Wigglytuff added.

Acquiescing to his request, I dashed toward the Guildmaster and motioned my elbow to strike him in the face. Only, I pulled my arm back at the last minute, continued past him, quickly turned and, with a jump, struck him in the back of the head with an elbow. I made sure to avoid hitting him with the metal bump on the back of my wrist, as that would probably be excessive for a one-sided sparring session. He staggered forward ever so slightly and uttered a very quiet "oof." I landed to the side of him, turned to face him, and backpedaled away, shifting into a defensive stance.

"Well," Rowkin said with a narrowed but amused gaze, "I certainly wasn't expecting a Feint right off the bat. I bet you think you're quite the tricky one?" I could certainly make out the condescension in his tone, but still gave a cheeky smirk.

"When did you learn to do that?" Sonchar asked. I shrugged, honestly not knowing the answer. It just sort of came to me as I was preparing my attack, and I wondered if that was how it was for all, or at least most, Pokémon as they learned new maneuvers.

"It was a great move, friend!" Wigglytuff praised, not bothered by the deception. "Perfect for dealing with those tricky baddies that like to wait you out behind a Protect or Detect."

"Now, it's your turn again, Sonchar," Rowkin turned to my partner. "I assume you have some control over your fire. Is that correct?"

"Y-yeah…" Sonchar answered, glancing at the ground in slight shame for a second, before looking back up. "I can use an Ember, but I've only done it once."

"Excellent. I think we'll pass on displaying that for now, just in the interest of not burning anything down in here. Maybe if we had a water type handy to mitigate the damage. But since we don't, Jameson likely wouldn't appreciate his stand burning to a crisp."

"That's fine," Sonchar quickly reassured. I was curious as to why he was hesitant to show off his ability, until I recalled the incident with Fang and Crossbones. The sight of the former flopping on the ground after being singed left an impression on my partner. If Rowkin or the Guildmaster noticed his hesitance, they didn't bring attention to it as the Chatot turned back to me.

"So, our masked ninja, anything else you have to show us? I assume that Feint and Quick Attack were not all you had in your arsenal?"

" _I do have one more move,_ " I projected, and then Sonchar relayed.

"I think that one's a fighting type move, though," Sonchar warned.

"Ooh!" Wigglytuff clapped. "Whatisit! Whatisit! Whatisit! What is it?"

Recomposing myself after… whatever that was, I shrugged, as I did not know the name of the move.

"Then show me!"

" _If he insists,_ " I said.

Getting back into my fighting stance, I held my right arm out. It was much more instinctual the first time I used this move, but I was able to focus the energy into my fist. Rushing him again, I brought my hand back, and with an open palm swung right into the Guildmaster's poor, abused abdomen. I felt my hand pressing into his belly as it rumbled. A force ricocheted back, sending me sliding over the dirt all the way into the mess hall.

"Kamon!" I barely heard Sonchar call.

Wincing, I tried to ignore the stinging sensation running across my back as it scraped against the hard ground. I pushed a broken chair or two off of myself, and took a hand offered to help stand me up. Surprised by the force of the pull, I noticed that it wasn't my partner who I was expecting, but a very distraught, very pink ball of fluff.

"I'm so sorry, friend!" Wigglytuff all but shouted as he released me, now holding his hands over his face in his trademark look of shock. "I should have expected a Force Palm attack, but I guess I forgot!"

"Are you alright?" Rowkin asked, concern evident.

I nodded as I held a hand over the back of my head. Sonchar, unconvinced, asked, "Are you sure? You look pretty hurt."

" _It's fine,_ " I said. " _I think the table broke my momentum there._ "

"Not funny, Kamon!" Sonchar chided, once again not appreciating my attempt at bringing levity to the situation.

"I told you his belly was more a danger to you," Rowkin said. "I just wasn't quite expecting that premonition to come true…"

"Are we really gonna keep joking about this?" Sonchar admonished us. Never thought I would see myself on the same side as Rowkin in this situation, though.

" _I'm fine, Sonchar,_ " I insisted. " _Sorry, but I was just trying to lighten the mood there a bit._ "

Sonchar sighed. "He says he's fine," he begrudgingly translated.

"Even still," Wigglytuff said with unusual seriousness, "I'm sorry for that, Kamon. I should have been prepared for what you could do, but failed and got you hurt." His concern from what happened as well as his disappointment in himself was evident in his slouch, a look that was very unfitting for the eccentric and excitable Pokémon. All I could do was to reassure him that I was fine, even if I still had a slight headache from being sat on by the furniture.

"Ahem," Rowkin cleared his throat. "Unintentional injuries aside, that move you used, as the Guildmaster said, was a Force Palm. While not unique to Riolu and Lucario, your species is one of the few known for utilizing it. A powerful attack even at low level, it sends a shockwave through the recipient's body, and sometimes will leave them with a temporary paralysis."

'Paralysis, huh?' I thought, once again hearkening back to our encounter with Team Skull. I wondered if that was what happened to poor, old Crossbones, as he seemed pretty stunned when I unleashed that move onto him. Granted, it was just as likely that being slammed face first into the boulder would have led to the same effect.*

"I think at this point, we will take things easy," Rowkin suggested. "Does that about cover the offensive abilities for the both of you?"

Sonchar and I looked to each other, and then nodded.

"Okay," Rowkin continued. "Then, we'll just go over some more of your passive and tactical abilities, and then call it a day."

The next hour of our training was spent going over our other abilities, none of which the two of us had ever used. Chimchar, we learned, were able to cast intimidating gazes at their enemies, unnerving them and leaving them open to attack. This move was called Leer. However, being the sweet, little monkey that Sonchar was, his gaze displayed no real malice and would hardly intimidate a Wurmple. Another go-to for his species was Taunt, where they would goad their enemy into attacking with some sort of insult or offensive (and apparently sometimes provocative) gesture. Needless to say, neither of these would be in my innocent partner's toolbox.

Much like my partner, my species also had other non-offensive abilities. Being a fighting type, I would be at a natural disadvantage when confronted by a ghost type, as my attacks would phase through them. That was where Foresight would come in. If I focused enough on the movements of metaphysical specters, I could locate and strike the point on their body that linked them to the physical world. At least, that was the gist of what they explained. They apparently didn't go too into detail about how that particular function worked, as ghost types were a rarity, especially in the region we were in. Still, the move would have its use, as it would help to keep track of the movements of other evasive Pokémon.

"And finally," Rowkin said, "Riolu and Lucario are notorious for never giving up in an intense battle."

"I can believe that," Sonchar chimed in.

"This is especially the case when they are fighting to protect someone they care about, or when defending their honor. We call this ability Endure, and with it, they can withstand tremendous punishment to a point where most other Pokémon would not last. Then, if they can manage, they will unleash a last-ditch attack to finally bring down their adversary. Of course, this would end up as a pyrrhic victory at best, since their body would likely give out once the fight ended."

" _Let's hope it will never come to that,_ " I shuddered.

"Agreed," Sonchar added.

Perhaps already used to hearing our one-sided conversations, Rowkin continued. "With that, I think that should about do it for today's training."

"You guys did so well!" Wigglytuff cheered his praise, not that I expected anything less.

"There will be plenty more abilities for you to learn in the future. For now, how about we go and eat some lunch and recuperate?"

" _As if you did any of the work,_ " I pointed out, though with no malice. Sonchar chuckled, but nodded with enthusiasm. I imagined he was just as hungry as I was after all that work.

Once we finished our meal, Rowkin opened the second basement floor up to the rest of the guild. Shortly after, Chet walked down to report to Rowkin that his tasks were complete.

"Hey Chet!" a refreshed Sonchar said. A friendly smile was all I could offer in greeting.

"Howdy fellas!" Chet returned. "How goes the trainin'?"

"Good, I think," Sonchar answered. "We learned a lot about our moves, and a few other ones we've never used before."

"Hot diggity! Ya lookin' forward ta puttin' 'em ta use?"

"Haha, maybe soon. But it might be a while before we go to an actual dungeon, I think."

"Actually, that is why I had you return, Chet," Rowkin interjected.

"Huh?" Sonchar quickly turned his head to the Lieutenant. "What do you mean?"

"While you two certainly have some work to do on your forms and technique," Rowkin answered, "the Guildmaster and I were certainly impressed by your abilities already."

"R-really?" Sonchar asked. I perked up as well, not expecting the praise.

"Indeed!" Wigglytuff cheerfully chimed in. "You two are super strong for your age and experience!"

"In fact," Rowkin continued, "normally we don't put new recruits to work in the field this early into training. But considering what you've shown us, as well as what you've told us about your prior experience within mystery dungeons, we think it would be best if we gave you your first mission tomorrow. If you feel you are up to the task, of course."

"I-I…" Sonchar tried to get out. The poor Chimchar could barely contain his excitement, as he seemed to be holding back tears of joy. Chuckling, I patted him on the back to let him know he could do this. "We would love to!" he finally got out. I nodded in confirmation.

"Excellent!" Rowkin chirped. "I am looking forward to seeing how you perform."

"Golly, that's terrific, fellas! But… Rowkin, sir, if I may ask, what's this got ta do with me?"

"Apologies, how could I forget? Chet, you are to chaperone team Blazing Aura as they go through their first dungeon."

"Really?!" Chet asked in the same disbelief as my partner from earlier.

"Really. We know that you have been looking forward to getting to work in the field for a while now. I'm sure you understand why the Guildmaster and I held back on that."

"Yeah, I know…"

"But we think this would be a great opportunity for the three of you. These two here are still inexperienced adventurers, so we are hoping you will be able to see them through their first mission. Do you think you are up to the task?"

"Golly, I would love to!" Chet answered excitedly, but then toned it down when he looked at us. "If'n the two 'a ya are okay with it, that is."

"We would love to have you help us," Sonchar cheered. "Right Kamon?"

Truth be told, I was rather skeptical about whether we would need the Bidoof with us. While he was a bit more experienced within the guild, somehow I wasn't sure how much help he would be to us, though I would never voice that opinion (assuming I was able to). Still, I didn't see any harm in it, and I knew it would bring the Bidoof a lot of excitement, as well as giving Sonchar someone that could actually talk back with him vocally. I smiled and gave an excited nod in affirmation.

"So, we are in agreement, then," Rowkin said. "You three can take the rest of the day off. I would suggest taking time to get what you need for the journey tomorrow. Dinner will be around the same time as yesterday, and after that, maybe get to sleep somewhat early so you make it to our morning huddle in time."

"Y-yes, sir," Sonchar meekly answered. It seemed we would never be living that first impression down.

"Very well. Chet, and team Blazing Aura, you are dismissed."

The three of us spent the rest of the day in even more excited anticipation for the next. The guild was courteous enough to provide a nice starting bonus so we could afford these expenses, as Sonchar did not have much left after yesterday and I had nothing to provide. With it, we were able to make a trip to Treasure Town to acquire some needed supplies for the trip. They mostly consisted of oran berries and apples to stay healed and energized throughout the trip, along with some other basic medical supplies.

Once we were satisfied with our purchases, we spent some time chatting as we walked around in Treasure Town. We made our way to Sharpedo Bluff on top of where Sonchar and I had stayed two nights ago, and took a seat near the edge. I glanced at where the hole that lead to the inside of the mouth was, noticing it was completely exposed, and Sonchar did the same. Suddenly, I was extremely grateful that we had made it into the guild, since we likely lost our claim to the one place we had to go back to.

"Gosh, I sure can't wait till tomorrow," Chet said, unaware of the relief Sonchar and I were sharing.

"I know!" Sonchar agreed. "This is gonna be our first exploration as a true team!"

"And I get ta be there with y'all through it. But didn't I hear Rowkin say that the two of ya've done one already?"

"Oh, yeah, that…" Sonchar rubbed the back of his head nervously. "That, uh, wasn't exactly planned. We, uh… I mean, I had met Kamon on the beach down there a couple days ago, and I, uh, got mugged by these two crooks."

I glanced at Sonchar, surprised he was telling that story already.

"'Mugged?'" Chet gasped. "Ya mean y'all were attacked by some outlaws?"

"Yeah, we're alright, though. We were able to beat them pretty good, and we got back what they stole. They were really just a couple bullies more than anything, you know? But when Kamon saw what they did, he took off after them and I followed."

" _You left out the part where I just watched it happen and then dragged you in with me._ " Sonchar ignored my correction.

"Gosh!" Chet exclaimed. "Well, glad y'all made it out in one piece. Most teams don't have ta deal with a couple 'a outlaws their first dungeon. But did I hear ya right, that y'all only just met a couple 'a days ago?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, we did…" Sonchar answered.

"But the two 'a ya seem really close already? I figured y'all were old friends."

"Well, uh…" Sonchar paused. I waited nervously for how he would answer. "I guess after all the excitement and stuff, we grew to trust each other?" He looked over at me in uncertainty. I shrugged, not knowing what I could possibly say. "And Kamon is sorta new to the area and doesn't really know the place-"

" _That's one way of putting it._ "

"-and so, we decided that joining the guild was a good idea for both of us. As you saw, it's been a lifelong dream of mine, and in helping me, Kamon can also get to see so much of the region, you know?"

"Huh," the Bidoof said. "Ya ain't from around here, Kamon? Mind me askin' where yer from?"

Though he was only asking out of harmless curiosity, it still felt as if he was prying. I looked over to Sonchar for help, not sure of what to say.

"He, uh, doesn't like to talk about it much," Sonchar jumped in for me. He put on a sympathetic façade, and continued, "He's just here to get a fresh start on life and stuff, you know?"

I supposed in a sense that could have been true.

"Yup yup, I know what'cha mean," Chet nodded in understanding.

" _I'm certain that you do not,_ " I said, though probably more rudely than I should have. Fortunately, he didn't hear it, but Sonchar looked a little bothered by the tone in my mental voice. I guiltily put my head down and continued to stay quiet.

"Prob'ly ain't the same, but I'm really hopin' that tomorrow will be a new beginnin' for me as well."

"What do you mean?" Sonchar asked curiously.

"Well, as y'all prob'ly noticed, Rowkin hasn't really been givin' me many opportunities lately."

"Really? You seemed to know a lot about the guild when you were showing us around."

"Well, that's prob'ly 'cause that's where I've been spending almost all hours 'a the day."

"Oh…" was all Sonchar could say. I wouldn't call myself much of an empath, but I could feel the sympathy radiating from him.

"Yup, I've been a real mess up lately. I got lost in a couple 'a dungeons, and almost got a client that was wantin' a tour of a dungeon hurt. And was a pretty weak dungeon at that. That's why Rowkin'll only give me little errands and chores and stuff. Dunno how many times I had ta tell Rowkin the Kecleon Market ain't sellin' any perfect apples."

Sonchar listened intently as Chet calmly vented out all of his frustrations. As someone who seemed to be constantly battling his own insecurities, Sonchar sure didn't like to see others in that same place. "How long has it been since you've been on the job?" he asked.

"Oh golly, it's gotta be a few months now."

"Well hey," Sonchar quickly said, "it's like you said. Tomorrow's a new day, right? We'll be going on our first mission, and you will help us get through it."

"Maybe," Chet made what I guessed was a quadrupedal equivalent of a shrug. "I know the two 'a you'll do great. I reckon I'll just be gettin' in y'all's way."

I kept my gaze down knowing that I had those thoughts earlier. I didn't think much of it at the time, but seeing how it was clearly affecting his own morale, I just couldn't look either him or my partner in the eyes.

"Come on, Chet, don't talk like that," Sonchar encouraged while I stayed silent. "I'll admit, I don't know how things went before we got here. But I felt the same way before joining. You remember when Louis called me out for running away from the grate?"

"Yup, I was wonderin' what the deal with that was."

"Well, before I met Kamon, I tried to work up the courage to try out for the guild. There were so many times where I couldn't even bring myself to step on the thing, and the other times, I would chicken out and then run away."

"So, that's what was Louis meant by 'false stepper,'" Chet laughed.

"Yeah," Sonchar chuckled as well, albeit nervously. "It wasn't until yesterday when I got the nerve to actually see it through."

"What made ya fine'ly go through with it?"

"Well, mostly it was because I had Kamon here to back me up." I perked up. Though I wasn't surprised, as he told me how much he relied on me numerous times, it still made me feel honored as well as pressured when he held me in that regard. "But it was also after seeing what the two of us did the day before, I just knew that we would be able to make it."

"And the two 'a ya are already gettin' a chance to prove yourselves. But I've had my chances, and I've only let 'em down. And I ain't got anybody willin' to stick by my side this shortly after getting' to know me."

"Then, we'll stick by you," Sonchar declared.

"Ya don't think y'all are gonna get tired 'a havin' to carry my weight?"

"You won't slow us down," Sonchar affirmed. "You're gonna help get us through our mission tomorrow. And after that, you're gonna keep on showing the Guildmaster and Lieutenant what you're capable of."

'Where did all this come from?' I wondered, but dared not project. While I was expecting a pep talk from my partner, I certainly was not anticipating him to confidently advocate for our new friend's success.

"Well shucks, I'll try, but I can't say I won't let y'all down."

"Hey, that's all we can do is try," Sonchar urged on. "But I just know that you won't let us down, right, Kamon?"

'Why are you asking me?' I once again wanted to say, but held my figurative tongue. Sonchar's encouragement seemed to be helping, but now, he was asking me for support. It was difficult enough trying to boost Sonchar's morale, but what good would I be to someone who couldn't even hear me?

But Sonchar was relying on my support, and I damn well was going to give it to him. Despite my own concerns about the Bidoof, I looked Chet in the eye with a determined gaze, and nodded in solidarity. " _You can do it, Chet._ " I hoped I wasn't helping set him up to fail.

"See?" Sonchar smiled. "We're all in this together!"

"Golly, the two 'a ya are gonna make me tear up!" Chet said emotionally. "I promise I'll do my best for y'all."

The three of us continued chatting for the next few hours. The Bidoof's spirits were certainly up after Sonchar's encouragement, and it almost seemed like he didn't know how to handle that. While Rowkin seemed like he meant well, he certainly was not the Pokémon I would send someone to if I thought they needed emotional support. But he needed somebody to believe in him. And he had been nothing but nice and supportive to the two of us, so I hoped the two of us would be able to show him the same support in return.

Later on, after arriving back at the guild and having another excitable dinner, Sonchar and I returned to our dormitory. I could tell he was still just as excited as he was the night before, but he was able to doze off relatively quick after chatting with me a little bit longer. It seemed he was really taking Rowkin's advice about getting to sleep early to heart (or, more likely, he didn't want to get put on blast in front of everyone again, which I could understand).

Like the previous nights, I tossed and turned as I attempted to sleep. It seemed it would be to no avail, and I resigned myself to the fact that I would simply not be getting much rest. At least after a much more pleasant day, my thoughts didn't shift to too many disturbing subjects. Instead, I made myself focus on what we would be doing tomorrow. With how confident he came off during our first dungeon, I was looking forward to seeing him thrive on our first mission. I was also looking forward to seeing a more motivated Chet rise to the occasion and prove that he belonged with the rest of his guildmates. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about what could happen, but I tried my best to shove those concerns aside.

Yawning, I finally found myself drifting off after a couple hours of lying there. Closing my eyes, I welcomed sleep's embrace.

* * *

*What I did know was that, contrary to my partner's horror in remembering the burn he caused, I found myself smirking when recalling that moment. With that in mind, along with the satisfaction from seeing Louis put in his place earlier, I wondered if I was really that petty of a person.

* * *

Author's Notes

Phew. We finally got through all those world building exposition posts, and now we get training with the Guildmaster... and Chet exposition! Yay? I had a lot of fun writing out the training scene, as Wigglytuff is always a fun character to have on screen, or in writing in this case. This also gave me a little chance to show just how durable that big ball of fluff is, and how dangerous he can be when not really meaning to be. Also, as I mentioned before, Chet will have an earlier role in my team's development in the guild. I hope I'm doing the Bidoof justice, and I look forward to (finally) posting the first guild official Mystery Dungeon exploration next update!

Editing notes: Originally, this chapter was only about half as long as it is now. For the most part, I glossed over the conversation with duo had with Chet at the end, and for the fight scene, all I really did was slightly describe the moves they had at their disposal. A part of it was admittedly laziness on my part, but it was also because I wanted to finally have them get out of the guild and go on their actual mission. However, my main beta reader told me she really wanted to see more of those two moments in particular. Taking her advice, I expanded them quite a bit, and I am very glad I did so. But I am also glad that we are finally at the point where we are moving forward, as we've spent more than enough time at the guild for the time being.


	10. Drenched Bluff

(The next morning…)

"Rise and shine, rookies!"

"Ugh…"

" _Why…_ "

"It's morning! Time to get your lazy butts up!"

"Didn't Rowkin tell you not to do this yesterday?"

"He only told me not to shout!"

" _And this does not count as shouting?_ "

"He didn't say I can't make sure you slackers get up on time. Now, move it!"

Second morning in this guild, and we already experienced our second rude awakening from that loud mouth.

"Arceus, I really hope that isn't going to be an everyday thing," Sonchar complained.

I wasn't sure if Louis was holding a grudge from being reprimanded for his shouting at the huddle the previous day, or if he was simply the type to not let somebody forget their mistakes. What I was sure of was that this was in fact going to be an everyday thing so long as we were in the guild with the Loudred.

"Ugh…" Sonchar groaned. "At least we won't have to worry about sleeping in anymore?"

" _That's an optimistic way of looking at waking up every morning to a headache._ "

"Yeah, you're right," Sonchar sighed. He sat in his bed for a few moments rubbing the sleep out of his eye and releasing a yawn. "Well, not how I would have preferred to start the day, but at least we have a lot to look forward to. Might as well get up and going. Are you ready, Kamon?"

Releasing a yawn, because they seemed to be more contagious than a cold, and stretching my limbs, I deliberated my answer. Somehow, the process of sleep seemed to take far more time than the actual act of sleeping itself, and I would spend hours lying down staring at a dark wall or ceiling. Yet, when the time came this morning to finally get up, I was too comfortable to even want to move (despite the fact that I could feel straw poking through my fur). But I supposed there could be worse things to complain about.

Besides, if I decided to sleep the day away, not only would I risk being shouted at until I finally got moving, I would be holding back Sonchar, who was absolutely thrilled about starting his work. And Chet was looking forward to the chance at redeeming his past failures as well as proving himself to the Guildmaster. Begrudgingly, I picked myself up from my comfortable, itchy paradise, releasing a final yawn. " _I'm ready._ "

We made our way into the assembly hall. It seemed Louis had gotten us up a little earlier than yesterday, as some of our guildmates were still trickling in. We took the same spots at the end of the line next to the hall. Some of the guildmates were having conversations while others looked like they were still in the process of fully waking themselves up. The chatter ended as the door to the Guildmaster's office creaked open and out came Rowkin and Wigglytuff.

The meeting went about the same as yesterday, at least for the most part. Rowkin gave each of the guildmates their assignments for the day, which seemed to be the status quo. Wigglytuff, however, appeared less than interested in that business as he switched between juggling an obnoxiously large apple and balancing the fruit on top of his head. None of the others paid it any mind, so it must have been a pretty common occurrence. Eventually, Daisy led us through the morning cheer, and Sonchar attempted to follow along, which was really just him repeating each line shortly after they were spoken.

"And three! Smiles go for miles!"

" _At least you tried,_ " I teased, and Sonchar stuck his tongue out at me in response.

"Okay Pokémon," Rowkin spoke. "Get to work!"

"Hooray!" the guildmates cheered before dispersing.

I wasn't sure if their cheer was genuine joy or if it was rehearsed excitement that Wigglytuff likely demanded of the crew. Nevertheless, everyone seemed to have a spring in their step as they went off to start the work, whether they were the dedicated explorers like Daisy and the Frank (which I learned was the Corphish's name), or the Pokémon with less exciting work, like the sentry team and Isabelle, or even Jameson, the unnerving Croagunk who was manning his own station which I still wasn't familiar with. Needless to say, Sonchar would certainly fit in well here in a short amount of time.

"Ah, you three," Rowkin called, breaking me from my observations. "Are you ready to begin your first mission today?"

"You bet!" Sonchar answered confidently. "I-I mean, yes sir!"

"No need to contain your excitement," Rowkin chuckled. "But perhaps it is wise to think carefully about this. After all, your performance today will be your first impression to the guild as an expedition team."

"Well, when you, uh, put it that way…"

"Now now, there's no need to worry so much. I only say this to make sure you put in your best effort. But the Guildmaster and I have full confidence in you after what you've told us of your previous dungeon run and what you've displayed of your abilities yesterday. Before we begin the mission briefing, however, there are a few things I need to go over. First and foremost, Chet, while I want you to accompany team Blazing Aura, please remember that you are there to act as an observer of their progress."

"Oh…" Chet deflated a bit.

"Of course, if any of the feral Pokémon in the dungeon approach you, you are free to defend yourself. However, this will be a test to see what these two are capable of, so we don't want to make it too easy on them."

"Yup yup, understand sir." Though he seemed to accept the stipulation, his disappointment was apparent. With how much Sonchar encouraged him yesterday, this was supposed to be his big day to prove himself to the guild leadership. But it seemed that would have to wait, as his involvement would be severely restricted.

"As for you two," Rowkin addressed us again. "While Chet is not to actively help you get through the dungeon, you are free to ask him for advice. And if things get too rough for you or you find yourselves getting lost inside the dungeon, he will be able to get you two out of there instantly."

"What? How will he do that?" Sonchar asked. I was curious about this as well.

"On his explorer badge is a device that will transmit the Pokémon and his team back to the entrance hall in this guild. It also works for any clients that are traveling with the team."

"Really? But I haven't seen anyone appear like that since I've been here."

"That's because we don't overuse them," Rowkin explained. "They only work once and are rather expensive to produce. As such, we only use them for emergencies where someone in the team is injured or in danger, or if we are rescuing a client that got themselves in too deep. Not to mention, they are known for shorting out if they are subjected to blunt force trauma and especially to electric attacks. And very few dangerous outlaws have been known to cause interference with the destination. Therefore, it's best to try to reach the waypoint at the end of the dungeon where you can rest if need be, and then head back out."

"That's so cool!" Sonchar cheered. "Will we get one of those too?"

"That is what we will determine today. As I said, they are not cheap toys, so we only give them out to exploration teams that we feel comfortable sending out on the field alone. That's part of why I want to make sure you perform to the best of your ability and continue to do so. Now, before we select a job for you, do you have any questions?"

"No siree," Chet answered.

Sonchar looked to me, and when I shook my head no, he answered similarly, "No sir."

"Excellent. Now, go retrieve your treasure bag and meet me at Isabelle's desk for your mission details."

"Yes sir!" the two of them answered again in unison.

Rowkin hopped to the ladder, and Sonchar quickly dashed off to retrieve our pack. It looked a tad large around him when he came back, so I opted to hold onto it. He gratefully handed it over and gave a relieved sigh. We then headed to the upper floor, taking the staircase so that we would be able to walk along with Chet.

Once we stepped into the lobby, we spotted Rowkin by Isabelle's desk where the two were having a hushed conversation. As we approached, their conversation ended and they turned to address us.

"Hey guys!" Isabelle greeted a little too cheerfully. "Are you two ready for your first job?"

"Yep!" Sonchar answered, still maintaining his excitement despite having answered that question numerous times already.

"Good to hear! We've got an easy enough one for a couple of first timers. Let's see here…"

The Chimecho retrieved a note from her desk, somehow keeping a grip with her tail that looked more like cloth than flesh. She held it to her eyes, cleared her throat, and read aloud.

"Hello, my name is Spoink! An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession: my precious pearl, which is life itself to me! I just can't settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place atop my head! But I've heard it has been spotted on a rocky bluff! But the bluff is reported to be unsafe, and I could never go somewhere so frightening. Oh, great explorers, would you be so kind as to go to the bluff and retrieve my pearl?"

"Golly, Spoink really needs ta guard her things better," Chet commented.

"What do you mean?" Rowkin asked, narrowing his eyes.

"This was the same job I had when I joined here, yup yup. Some crook went and took her pearl and ran off that time ta that place too. Maybe we'll catch 'em this time!"

"Isabelle," Rowkin whispered rather loudly. "You told me Chet's first mission was rescuing that lost Nidoran in the beach cave!"

"I'm sorry!" the flustered bell responded. "I must've gotten them mixed up!"

"Uh…" Sonchar muttered. They must have just remembered we were still here, because their talking became much quieter, but they still appeared as irritated or embarrassed. The three of us stood by awkwardly as we waited, and I wondered if we should perhaps leave the room while they figured out… whatever it was they were figuring out.

"Alright," Rowkin finally said as they turned their attention back to us. "I apologize, but I wasn't expecting your mission to be the same exact one that Chet had." Rowkin narrowed his eyes as he looked slightly back at Isabelle, who ducked a little behind her desk. "But it appears Chet is correct, and Spoink should make sure to guard her possessions, hehe."

Something about a flustered Rowkin didn't sit right with me.

"But anyway, Chet, what I said before is even more important now. Make sure you allow Sonchar and Kamon the time to locate the item on their own."

"Will do, sir, yup."

"Now, if the two of you could bring out your wonder map, please?"

Sonchar reached into the bag I was holding and pulled out the paper, unfolding it onto the desk.

"This is Treasure Town here." Rowkin pointed his wing on an image of a clutter of tents, which I assumed represented the vendors. "You will be heading to the drenched bluff down here." He dragged his wing to an image of a cliff to the south-east of the guild. "It should only be a little over an hour's walk if you follow the shoreline past the beach cave. Once you arrive in there and are ready, enter the dungeon and search for the item that was lost. Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah, um…" Sonchar said nervously. "Are there, uh, water type enemies in the dungeon?"

"There are, yes," Rowkin answered.

"Oh…" Sonchar said, looking dismayed.

"You said you two were able to handle the Pokémon in the beach cave, yes? The Pokémon in here won't be much tougher than what you had to deal with there, and the dungeon itself is rather small as well. I am confident that you two should be able to get through without too much difficulty. But if you are unsure, we can always wait until you have had more train-"

"No!" Sonchar interrupted. "Sorry, but it'll be fine. W-we can get through it, right guys?"

Though concerned for my partner, I nodded in support. He really wanted to do this, so I would make sure to see him through it.

"That is what I like to see," Rowkin said proudly. "As long as your partner has your back, I am certain you two will be successful. Now, if you are all in agreement, I wish you good success. Chet and team Blazing Aura, get to work!"

After returning the wonder map to our bag and making one final check to make sure we were stocked, the three of us left the guild and headed for the beach. We chatted as we traveled down the shoreline, while each of us ate an apple to fuel up for the journey. We made good time, arriving shortly after an hour as per Rowkin's estimation.

"Well fellas," Chet said as we stood facing the base of a hill. "This here's the cliff that'll take us ta the dungeon."

"So, we've gotta climb up there?" Sonchar asked, eying the streams of water that would be hindering our trek. Truth be told, they were shallow enough to where they wouldn't do much but make our feet wet. But for my fiery friend, they would certainly be very uncomfortable.

"Yup. Once we get ourselves up in the dungeon, we should have lots more dry ground to walk on. Y'all ready ta get to it?"

"Haven't changed my mind yet," Sonchar declared, and I nodded my agreement. "But I'll, uh, try to avoid the water as much as I can."

"Yes siree."

No turning back now, as the three of us began the trek up the hill with varying levels of confidence. Taking lead, I did my best to navigate us up the steep slope, avoiding the streams as much as I was able with my partner right behind me. Every now and then, I would hear a couple squishy footsteps, but once we neared the top, Sonchar dashed up to the even ground where he began shaking his feet to rid as much moisture as he could.

"Wasn't so bad, now was it?" Chet asked as he and I joined Sonchar on the top.

"Easy for you to say," Sonchar complained, perhaps a little dramatically, to which the Bidoof chuckled good-naturedly. "But I'm good to go," he assured after taking a breath.

Passing our first obstacle, we headed into the opening of the dungeon. Remembering what happened last time, I shut my eyes as we walked through, knowing that I would be in an enclosed room as soon as we entered. Feeling the sensation of traveling through the special distortion, I opened my eyes and confirmed after looking behind me that the exit was indeed sealed off.

"Are you alright, Kamon?" Sonchar asked.

" _Yeah, I'm fine,_ " I said, mostly truthful. While it helped that I was able to brace myself for what happened, the feeling was still unnerving to say the least. But once I got through, I was able to gather my bearings and take a look at the scenery.

"It's beautiful in here, ain't it?" Chet asked.

"It is," Sonchar agreed. "I could do without so much water, but it does look pretty peaceful here. What do you think, Kamon?"

Truth be told, the scenery wasn't too impressive. Much like the beach cave, there were pools of water surrounding the room we were in. But unlike that dungeon, instead of the bright, pink soil and the silvery walls, the ground was a dull bluish-grey and the walls were covered in slimy-looking green moss. I supposed the sounds of the streams flowing through the cave were somewhat relaxing, compared to the more still ponds from before, and the natural light from the sky illuminated the dungeon much more. But that wasn't enough, at least for me, to make up for the dullness of the environment itself.

"Kamon?" Sonchar called as I didn't answer the question. Not wanting to dim the mood, but not wanting to lie either, I shrugged indifferently.

"Well, ta each his own," Chet said. "Anyway, y'all remember what we're after?"

"Yeah, I think so," Sonchar said as he grabbed the note from the treasure bag. "We're looking for Spoink's pearl. Do you remember what it looked like?"

"Yup yup! 'twas a little, pink ball you could prob'ly hold in one hand. Was a little difficult for me ta carry it out, havin' no arms 'n all, but I managed."

"Any idea where we should begin looking?"

"Well, when I was lookin', I found it in… wait, no," Chet stopped. "The Lieutenant said I'm not ta tell the two 'a ya what to do. Sorry fellas, but all I can do is watch from here on."

"Oh no, it's okay," Sonchar reassured. "I wasn't really thinking when I asked. I guess we should start looking, then. Did you wanna take lead again, Kamon?"

I nodded and started in the direction of one of the hallways. I specifically looked for one that didn't have a bed of water on either side in hopes that we could avoid a dangerous situation, even though I knew that wouldn't always be an option. That was proven immediately correct, as the path took us to a dead end, and we had to head back to the room where we started.

Taking another corridor that had at least one solid wall, we headed to the next area. About halfway through, we were approached by a small group of Pokémon in the water that were very similar to the blue mollusks from the beach cave. These Shellos, however, were a bright pink that stood out rather vibrantly in the blue cave they claimed as their territory.

Remembering the one that nearly drenched Sonchar before, I took a defensive stance, not being fooled by their blank smiles. As expected, they immediately began spitting what I learned were Water Pulse attacks in our direction. They were too far into the water for me to deal with, so I took Sonchar's wrist and dashed through the corridor until we had more open space. I was able to keep my partner from taking any direct shots, and was able to avoid most myself. But by the time we reached the open room, I was a little soaked from the thankfully weak blasts.

Chet wasn't so lucky. As he came in behind us, I had to hide a smirk as he was completely drenched, but otherwise unharmed.

"Golly," Chet huffed. "We sure showed 'em, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Chet!" Sonchar tried to sound legitimately concerned, but was forcing down a laugh of his own. "A-are you alright?"

"Yup. They ain't the strongest of the feral 'mons, but they sure are feisty little fellas. Lemme just shake myself off over there, if y'all don't mind."

"Go ahead."

Chet approached one of the walls away from us near a large, purple plant with pink petals sprouting from the water. As the Bidoof began shaking himself dry, he splashed the strange plant. Offended by being sprayed, or possibly having been lying in wait, the plant lunged at the Bidoof and latched itself onto his back.

"Whu-" Chet yelped as he tried to free himself from the creature's grasp, but to no avail. "Li'l help here, fellas?!"

"Kamon!" Sonchar called to me, but I was already on the move.

I dashed to the Bidoof and grabbed his captor around the "head," attempting to pry open its grip. The stubborn creature wouldn't relent, so I held one side of the cylindrical head with my left hand while giving a few punches with my right. I felt it start to release its grip slightly, but when I attempted to pull it off again, it latched even harder, causing Chet to yelp once more. Out of options, I returned my left grip, and proceeded to smash the creature with my blunted wrist spike on my right wrist, leaving a nasty dent on its protective shell. That did the trick as it finally let go the Bidoof, but then it turned and lunged at me. Expecting this, I stepped slightly to the side while maintaining my own hold and slammed it "headfirst" onto the ground.

I glanced toward the retreating Bidoof to see that he had regrouped with Sonchar.

" _I'm going to let go, so get ready,_ " I said.

Sonchar nodded at me as he held a defensive stance. I let the creature go and immediately jumped back, ready to continue the fight if it persisted. Fortunately, it figured out that wouldn't be the best choice as it slithered its way into the water. Once I was sure it would not come out to bother us again, I slowly backed up to regroup with my companions, relieved that I wouldn't have to put the creature down permanently.

"Are you okay?" Sonchar asked Chet.

"I think so," he answered, panting slightly. "I think the thing used Acid on me. Y'all bring a pecha berry by chance?"

"Yeah, let me grab one," Sonchar said as he searched through our pack. "Aha! Here we go!" Retrieving the medicinal fruit, he held it to the Bidoof, who ate it directly from his hand.

"Ah, thanks for that," Chet said as soon as he swallowed. "And you too, Kamon, for takin' care 'a that varmint."

"No worries," Sonchar responded for the two of us. "We wouldn't have left you to deal with that thing on your own."

"I know ya wouldn't, but I shoulda known better'n ta creep up on a Lileep. Ain't the friendliest little buggers around. But don't worry yerselves over me. I'm still good ta go."

After giving Chet a moment to catch his breath and letting the pecha berry run through him, we resumed our pace. We searched through every room and hallway of the floor, this time prepared for any territorial Shellos and ambushing Lileep. But the elusive pearl we were searching for was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, we reached the next gateway that would lead us to the next floor. I stopped and stared at the light shining through the door, taking a breath as I remembered the feeling of panic and disorientation the first time I stepped through one.

Feeling the concerned gaze on my back, I continued and stepped through the doorway, closing my eyes as the world around me faded to darkness. I felt a slight dizziness as the space began to reform and I found myself in another open room with the same scenery as the last. Within a few seconds, the spinning stopped, and I hoped that I would someday get used to the feeling of that distortion.

The next floor was a bit less eventful than the first. After getting caught in two ambushes already, we kept our guards up and stayed clear of any Pokémon attempting to blend into the environment. We still encountered a small group of Shellos, but we were able to draw them in close and take care of them rather quickly. Sonchar even got in on the action and took out a couple on their own as they were not very threatening when we weren't sitting ducks for their watery projectiles. Chet, of course, did his best to stay in the background and not engage, but was forced to send one away with a Tackle as it targeted him. Afterward, it was a small matter of time until we decided there was nothing left on the floor and spotted the doorway to the next.

As we appeared in another empty room in the third floor, we took the nearest corridor, and we immediately hit the doorway to the fourth.

"Golly, that was quick," Chet commented. "Guess we done got lucky here. Y'all ready ta go?"

"Are you sure?" Sonchar questioned. "We still have a lot of ground to cover here. Should we really go through here already?"

"Oh, guess yer right," Chet said, and I narrowed my eyes as he chuckled nervously.

" _I don't think we're going to find anything else on this floor,_ " I said.

"Maybe, but wouldn't it be better to check just in case?"

"Kamon here wantin' ta move on already?" Chet guessed.

"Yeah, he does. And I guess you do too. I still think we should look around, but if you both disagree, that's two to one."

"Nah, yer prob'ly right. I reckon it'd be a good idea ta look around s'more, and y'all shouldn't be listenin' ta what I say anyway, nope."

That was quite the about-face there. He seemed eager to move on, but once Sonchar questioned him, he quickly changed his tune. Either he was hoping we would miss the item, or he had reason to believe that we wouldn't find it on the current floor. While I didn't know much about the Bidoof yet, I had no reason to believe it would be the former as he didn't seem like the type to do that.

"Okay then. Does that sound good, Kamon?" Sonchar asked me.

I decided that if I brought it to question that Chet wouldn't answer. After all, he was forbidden to answer any questions directly related to the mission, so it was likely a slip up on his part. Choosing not to voice my suspicions, I nodded to my partner and led us back to where we arrived and through the rest of the floor.

The detour wasn't entirely worthless, I supposed. Needless to say, there were plenty more overgrown and aggressive slugs to deal with, and a few decoy plants to avoid. But there were also a couple more Pokémon I had never seen before.

The first, I learned, was an Anorith, a large bug that was crawling over the ceiling and staring down at us with eyes literally sticking out of either side of its head. Its body was a green shell that appeared to be encased in a grey armor plate. Along its sides were four pairs of white feather-like wings with red tips, and on its face were two terrifyingly large pincers that looked like they could crush our bones. Thankfully, that theory wouldn't be tested, as once it spotted us, it plummeted from the ceiling into a pond it was over, and skidded away over the surface of the water.

"Guess I didn't need to sleep tonight…" Sonchar commented, shuddering at the display.

The other Pokémon we saw was a tiny, yellow bell that had beady eyes and what looked to be a pair of red and white antennae in the shape of a rope. Chet explained that they were called Chingling and were what Isabelle was before she evolved. But where the Chimecho floated gracefully in the air, her pre-evolved form bounced around on stubby legs. And while Isabelle's chimes were a pleasant jingle, this little demon when startled emitted a very loud and high pitched scream. Though less intense, it felt about as unpleasant as when I was subjected to the Supersonic attack in the previous dungeon, and I immediately felt myself cringing as the sound penetrated my skull.

Fortunately, this pain was short-lived in comparison to that headache, and I regained my senses more quickly. Sonchar, having noticed my incapacitation and not as bothered by the grating noise as I was, sprang into action and scared off the wretched creature. Sighing, I weakly projected my thanks, and directed our course back to the doorway. I wasn't sure if we had scoured the entire floor, but at that point, I didn't care.

We took the next floor rather quietly. My companions gave me that space to recompose, for which I was grateful. I certainly didn't want to snap as I mentally collected myself. The feral Pokémon were also courteous as we were slowed down by very few, and I was fortunate that none of them were the walking bells that somehow managed to disorient me even more than Louis shouting us awake the last couple mornings. By the time we had seen everything there was to see, I felt that I cooled off enough, and we made our way to the next floor.

"Any ya fellas hungry?" Chet asked after we arrived in a new, empty floor.

"A bit yeah," Sonchar answered, embarrassed as the thought of food caused his belly to rumble.

" _I could eat, but I'm fine to keep going._ "

"Okay, I'll grab some more apples," Sonchar said as he dug his hands into the treasure bag and began to feel around. It felt odd to be the one carrying the pack when he was the one that would manage everything, but I figured it was quicker than taking the thing off to look through it myself.

"Actually, don't worry 'bout me, fellas," Chet said as he trotted happily to a shrub. "Looks like we got lucky and found an oran berry vine. I'mma just help myself real quick like."

Sonchar gazed at the plant the Bidoof was eating from as if in deep thought. Then, a realization sprang to his mind, and he shouted, "No Chet, wait! Those aren't-"

But it was too late. Chet had already swallowed an entire berry and had bitten halfway into the next. He stopped chewing, and were I able to see the skin on his face, I imagined it would have turned pale.

"And this, fellas…" he tried to say as he tried not to vomit. "This is… a firsthand lesson, on, uh, oh no…"

Unable to finish his "lesson," the Bidoof unleashed the contents of his stomach onto the poor, defenseless shrub. Sonchar and I had to turn our heads away from the scene. To our relief, it was a short-lived episode, and he didn't seem to be dry-heaving for too long.

"Are you, uh, alright?" Sonchar asked, not daring to approach unless the Bidoof needed immediate help.

"Yup," Chet answered with no conviction. "I, uh… did ya pack any real oran berries?"

"Y-yeah, one sec..."

Sonchar resumed his search through the treasure bag until he fished out the requested item. He also grabbed an apple that he handed to me, and then walked over to Chet to give him the oran berry. Chet managed to force himself to swallow the medicinal fruit. I, however, wouldn't be eating anytime soon, so I discreetly tossed the apple back into the bag.

"Thanks, buddy," Chet expressed his gratitude.

"No problem."

" _So, what happened there?_ " I asked as they headed back toward me, and I was grateful that I didn't have to walk over to them.

"Oh, uh, Chet ate an oren berry."

" _I know. You just gave it to him._ "

"No, an orEN berry," Sonchar corrected, annunciating more clearly. "They're look-alikes of oran berries, but they, uh… well, you saw what it did."

So, even the food here was trying to kill us.

"Yup," Chet confirmed. "As much as I'd like ta pretend that was an intentional demonstration, that was just me bein' careless again. Sorry y'all had to see that."

"Hey, it's fine," Sonchar reassured to no surprise. "We're just glad you're okay. But, uh, do you need to get back now?"

"No," Chet answered, took a breath, and continued. "We're almost done here. Think I can hold out for another floor."

"Are you sure?" Sonchar frowned.

"Yeah… Don'cha worry 'bout me. I ain't gonna be ruinin' your first mission. So, let's keep movin'."

Insistent on not allowing us to fail, Chet continued on, not allowing Sonchar to continue questioning his decision. I nodded and retook my position in the front, and Sonchar reluctantly followed, taking the flank to keep a close eye on our nauseated companion. This floor wasn't quite as merciful as the last, and we had to deal with a few more groups of Shellos and even some Aronith. The former were the same minor irritants as ever. The Aronith, however, were quite a bit sturdier and took more than a quick punch or elbow strike to deal with. Fortunately, they tended to hunt alone, so it was a simple matter to send them scuttling off into a crevice.

Chet was certainly a trooper in that he didn't complain once when we were slowed down by the pests. In fact, he was perhaps even grateful for the short moments of rest he would receive while Sonchar stayed close to defend him. All he asked for was another pecha berry to help deal with the nausea. But his relief was apparent the instant we found the last doorway to the dungeon.

"Looks like… we done made it," Chet said between breaths, fatigued from having to travel while sick. "This here should be the waypoint of the dungeon."

"Do you think it'll be in there?" Sonchar asked with a hint of worry. "I really hope we didn't pass by it on the way here."

"I think that… it'll be in there. Jus- Just a feelin'."

" _I have the same feeling,_ " I added, surprised by the accusation my mental tone was able to project. Sonchar seemed less impressed with the feat as he headed through the shimmering doorway with Chet and me following right behind him.

We arrived into the final room of the dungeon, and I was awed by how beautiful it was compared to the scenery before. The floor was a small stone platform surrounded by numerous trees and a large fountain that dripped into two small streams around it. And directly in front of the fountain was a small, pink sphere that sparkled in the light that shined over us.

"Wow!" Sonchar said as he retrieved the sparkling orb. "This is the pearl, right?"

"Yup," Chet said, mustered a little enthusiasm. "Right where it was when I came here."

I figured as much.

"Huh," Sonchar responded in thought. "Kind of weird that the thieves dropped it in the same place. I was wondering if we were going to end up running into them."

"Heh," Chet chuckled. "Kinda glad we didn't, 'cause I'm not really feelin' up ta dealin' with that drama at the moment."

"Oh right!" Sonchar said as he remembered the Bidoof's predicament. "We still have to walk back… Do you, uh… do you think you'll be good to make it? Or should we use the badge to take us-"

"Nah, that won't be necessary," Chet said, cutting off Sonchar's concern. "I told ya I can make it, so that's what I'm gonna do. We don't need the Guildmaster thinkin' ya couldn't make it back on your own, do we?"

"Then why don't you just use it and we'll walk back ourselves?"

Chet stood there as he deliberated Sonchar's suggestion. "Well, I reckon I'd only be slowin' you fellas down. Think y'all will be able ta get back on yer own?"

"We'll be fine," Sonchar affirmed, and I nodded in agreement.

"Alrighty. Well, you two did good here, and I mean it. And don't worry, I won't spoil how the two of ya did. That'll be for you ta report ta the Guildmaster and Lieutenant. See y'all soon."

"Thank you, Chet. We'll see you back at the guild."

I waved goodbye as the Bidoof pressed a button on his badge and disappeared in a blinding yellow flash.

" _Let's remember not to stare next time that happens,_ " I said, rubbing my eyes to recover from the sudden blindness.

"Yeah, wasn't expecting it to be that bright," Sonchar agreed as he regained his own vision.

Taking off his scarf and delicately wrapping the pearl into it, he placed them inside the treasure bag.

"So, looks like our first mission was a success!" Sonchar perked up, likely wanting to keep the mood positive.

" _That it was,_ " I responded, not quite meeting his enthusiasm, but gave a noble attempt nonetheless.

"I can't wait to bring it back to the guild! Let's get back quickly so we can tell Rowkin and the Guildmaster how we did!"

I smiled genuinely as we left the waypoint and emerged outside the dungeon. Despite Sonchar's confidence issues, he absolutely rose to the occasion, and despite his concern for our other companion, he could barely mask the feeling of triumph as we succeeded in our mission. And I had to admit, even with those few close calls, there was no denying that I really felt alive. The feeling of accomplishment was certainly something I could see myself getting used to, especially when sharing Sonchar's contagious excitement.

"Oh man," Sonchar said as we slid down the slope outside the dungeon. "I'm starving. And don't think I didn't notice you putting away your food back there." He had an accusing face, but with no real seriousness in the admonishment.

" _Hey, you try keeping your appetite after watching someone puke their guts out,_ " I replied, sticking my tongue out in mock offense.

"Yeah, I know," Sonchar laughed. "That's why I didn't make a stink about it. But I'm still hungry, so let's get grab another snack for the road."

Nodding, I gratefully accepted the food he handed me. I was still bothered by what I believed Rowkin was hiding from us. But Sonchar was still radiating joy, so I wasn't going to be the one to take that away from him. Munching on the apple, I followed my friend as we made our way back to the guild to report our success.

* * *

Author's Notes

We finally get to the first official dungeon exploration. I can't believe it really took me ten chapters to get to Drenched Bluff, but I can at least say things are moving forward. I took a lot of liberties with the dungeon by including Chet in the journey, but I thought it was a fun way to include another character that actually likes to talk. And I hope nobody was majorly disappointed that things didn't go in his favor. Unfortunately, there are times that simply believing in yourself isn't enough to succeed, but he will have his chance to work his way up in the future.

As for the mission itself, I'm sure you can figure out what was going on with the staged job. When I thought about how things went in the game, I noticed that the job description was far more detailed than any other from the job board, and it's the only one where the objective is at the literal end of the dungeon. Obviously, that is just because it was the only job from the board that was part of the plot. But the way I see it, would Chatot really assign two rookie explorers with the task of recovering something as valuable as the pearl of a Pokemon? Nah. In my head canon, it was just a stock mission that they give as a test to apprentices to prove themselves. As it turned out, they may have forgotten to make sure it wasn't the same as the last one they gave out.


	11. Ain't That a Punch in the Face

**Quick Note** : Eiphos Aki gifted me another image capturing a moment from my fic. I soooo badly want to show it off here, but as we know, FF no likey links. The image shows my duo and Chet as they trek up the hill to the Drenched Bluff cave. I would have cropped it so I could make it the temporary display pic, but it would unfortunately cut out too much, so I would rather not ruin the picture by doing that. The best I can do is give you her DeviantArt screen name: jujube-lee

Now, back to your regularly scheduled update!

* * *

It was a short walk back to the guild. Despite the fact that we were a bit worn out from the dungeon, Sonchar couldn't wait to report to the Guildmaster. He was still worried about how Chet was faring, especially since he had to return to the guild alone while we stayed behind and walked back ourselves. But there was nothing we could do about that, so we decided to focus on the fact that our first mission was a success.

The sun was just starting to set when we arrived in front of the guild.

" _Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!_ " a familiar muffled voice announced as my partner stepped onto the grate.

" _Whose footprint? Whose footprint?_ "

" _The footprint is Sonchar's! The footprint is Sonchar's!_ " It seemed that we had been through this process enough for them to recognize us by foot. I wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

"Hi guys!" Sonchar cheered as he shouted below.

" _Hi Sonchar!_ " Dominic returned the greeting. " _Kamon with you?_ "

"Yep, he's right here. We're back from our mission!"

" _Oh, that's awesome! How did it go?_ "

"It went great! We're just now getting back-"

" _No fraternizing while working, SENTRY!_ "

"Wah!" Sonchar stumbled from the all too familiar shouting, and I had to catch him before he tripped and stepped into one of the holes.

" _I'm not surprised that THEY'RE goofing off, but I expect more professionalism from YOU, Sentry Diglett!_ "

" _Sorry, Sentry Loudred!_ "

"The gate's open!" Louis announced. "And next time, wait until we're off duty before you stop to chat, rookie!"

" _Sorry!_ " Sonchar squeaked as he hopped off the grate.

" _Why can't we have one interaction where I don't want to punch him in his big mouth?_ " I asked rhetorically.

"Heh, yeah…" Sonchar chuckled nervously at the "joke" as we walked through the opened gate. We climbed our way down to the lobby and walked to the desk where Isabelle was speaking with Daisy.

"Oh!" the Chimecho said as she noticed our arrival. "Be with you guys in one minute! Just need to finish up with Daisy really quick."

We stood there waiting as the two finished their conversation. Though we stumbled late into it, from what I could gather, they weren't really talking much about guild business, but rather were gossiping about others, a certain loud-mouth getting mentioned every so often. Sonchar, antsy about wanting to report our success, was bouncing slightly in place. Daisy seemed to notice his impatience, as she decided to be the one to end their discussion.

"Omigosh, I'm sorry, guys!" she squeaked. "I think we should catch up later, Belle."

"Okay, I'll see you later, Daisy!" the Chimecho waved off the Sunflora with her nub of an arm. "I'm so sorry I kept you guys waiting. Did you come to turn in the pearl?"

"Yep!" Sonchar exclaimed as he dug the item out from the treasure bag and set it on the desk.

"Oh, and you made sure to protect it too!" Isabelle observed as Sonchar unwrapped the item from the scarf. "That was very thoughtful of you to do! I'll go and let Lt. Rowkin know of your success. Think you two can wait here and hold on to the pearl while I go talk to him?"

"Oh, uh, sure," Sonchar affirmed, taking back the item for safekeeping.

"Thanks! I'll be back in a bit!"

Sonchar and I stayed at the desk while the Chimecho went to fetch the Lieutenant. As dusk started to approach, it was almost eerie how quiet the usually lively guild was. Save for the two of us, the room was entirely empty and devoid of any activity. With all the excitement of the last couple days, I wasn't sure if things always started to settle around this time, or if today was just a quieter day. I supposed I would learn more about the routines the more time I spent at the guild.

Isabelle returned shortly after, informing us that Rowkin would be joining us soon, only to leave as she had to get started on preparing dinner. The Lieutenant apparently flew out from one of the guild windows to fetch the client Spoink personally.

"Ah, you two!" we eventually heard him greet as he hopped and fluttered down each step of the stairs. "I trust you have good news to report?" Following him was a small, grey Pokémon with stubby arms that moved by bouncing on a spring-like tail.

"We sure do!" Sonchar answered, proudly displaying the prize of our journey.

"Oh, thank you!" the client bounced in glee as she retrieved the gem and placed it on top of her head. "This pearl is life itself to me! I am so happy to have it back!"

"You're welcome!"

Having gotten her item back, she merrily bounced her way back up the steps as she left the guild.

" _How is that thing not falling off her head?_ " I asked in disbelief, and Sonchar could only shrug in answer. Actually, what I should have been asking was what the point of this whole show was if that was all she was there to do.

"Well done, you two," Rowkin praised. "I am pleased to see that you two were successful."

"Thank you, sir!" Sonchar beamed. "It was pretty intense, but we got it done!"

"So I see. Would you mind giving me some details on how it went, though?"

"Oh, sure! Um, let's see here…" Sonchar took a moment to gather his thoughts and recount the events before explaining. "So, we got there after an hour or so of walking. When we arrived, Kamon led us up the hill to the bluff so that I wouldn't step in the streams so much."

"That was certainly thoughtful of you," Rowkin turned to me and complimented. I shrugged, as I didn't really think much of it at the time.

"Yeah!" Sonchar agreed enthusiastically despite my nonchalance. "And when we got into the dungeon, we were ambushed by some Shellos! They, uh, shot a bunch of Water Pulse attacks at us from far into the pond and we couldn't fight back… I was pretty worried there, but Kamon pulled us out of there pretty quickly! They weren't much of a big deal after that, since we knew not to get ourselves cornered like that again."

"That was some good quick thinking," Rowkin once again complimented. "Those Pokémon are pretty weak, but those water attacks certainly would have built up. And it was very wise to learn from that mistake so you would not be in that situation again."

While I appreciated the words of praise, it didn't really seem like a huge deal. Obviously, when we were in a position where we couldn't defend ourselves, the best course of action would be to retreat. But I wasn't going to argue with the Lieutenant, especially since this was one of the few moments where he seemed to be genuinely pleased with us. Instead, I nodded and let Sonchar continue.

"There wasn't a whole lot that happened after that. We went through a couple more floors and got into a couple more fights. I was nervous at first with all the water attacks, but they were pretty easy to beat up close. I got in a few good hits every now and then, but Kamon took care of most of them."

It was getting a little embarrassing how much Sonchar doted on my contributions. Wasn't it the sensible thing for me to do? Of the two of us, he was the one at a disadvantage in the dungeon. It only made sense that I would carry a little more of the burden. Regardless, I had to admit that it felt nice to be appreciated and noticed, and I did smile genuinely at his praise. But there was one thing-rather, a few things, but all of them related-that he didn't mention about our mission, and I didn't see Rowkin letting that go unnoticed.

"It's good to see that you two were able to adapt to your situation," Rowkin said. "I said it before, but I knew with what we saw of you that you would be just fine. However, I noticed you haven't mentioned anything about Chet."

That didn't take long.

"Oh, yeah…" Sonchar said uncomfortably.

"Was he of help to you two?" Rowkin asked, but somehow I figured he knew the answer.

"Y-yeah," Sonchar stuttered his answer. "He, uh, let us take care of things like you asked, and, uh, he…"

Sonchar looked to me for support, but what was I supposed to say? I wasn't the best at conjuring up stories on the spot, and it wasn't like I could chime in if I was.

"So, you weren't going to tell me about how you saved him from a Lileep?" Rowkin accused. "Or how he ended up eating an oren berry and got himself sick?"

"Oh, uh…" Sonchar hesitated. "D-did he, uh, tell you about that?"

"Yes, he did," Rowkin answered matter-of-factly. "He said he didn't think you two would want to give me bad news about him. And he didn't want you to be in a position to where you would try to cover for his mistakes."

He also probably didn't think that Rowkin would lead Sonchar into having to make that choice.

"Oh…" Sonchar looked down sadly, not wanting to look the Lieutenant in the eyes. "Sorry… I, uh, I guess I know how he feels, you know? I was like that a lot, and still am, really. I guess I didn't wanna be the one to ruin his second chance."

"I understand," Rowkin surprisingly assured. "If there's one thing I love about this guild, it's the comraderie each of our guildmates shows one another. Even those that can be standoffish and those that like to give the newcomers a hard time, they will all have your back when you need it most.

"However, while I understand that is what you were doing, I need you to understand why it is essential that you are honest with the Guildmaster and me. If we were to send Chet off to do something dangerous when he wasn't ready, not only would we be putting him in danger, we would potentially be putting clients in danger. When we send a guild member off to rescue a client, or when we give them an escort through a dungeon, they are entrusting us with their lives and well-being. If they were to become injured or worse, Arceus forbid, not only would we have that on our conscience, but the guild itself would be in danger."

"Th-the whole guild?" Sonchar asked, shivering.

"Correct. If we were to lose clients while on the job, we would lose the trust of anybody that would want to utilize our services. And rightfully so."

"I, uh… I didn't think about any of that…"

"I know. And I realize that I may seem harsh and over-dramatic." He was able to read my silence well. "But I want to ingrain this into you now while you are still new here. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"

"Y-yes, sir," Sonchar answered. "And I'm sorry for n-not being honest."

"That's good to hear. And you?" Rowkin said, looking toward me, and I nodded. "Good. I'm glad we understand each other. And don't worry about Chet. He understands that when it comes to adventuring, he still has much to learn before we can send him on his own. And I realize that sheltering him too much hasn't been doing him any favors. The Guildmaster and I will figure something out so we can nurture his hidden talents."

"How is he doing, though?" Sonchar asked, concerned. "With, uh, the sickness and stuff."

"He will be fine. He just needs a day or two of rest and to let it pass through him. And he… told me that most of it is probably already out of his system already." Rowkin made a face of disgust as he alluded to the poor Bidoof vomiting.

"Y-yeah, it probably is," Sonchar looked only equally disgusted despite having witnessed the event. "But, uh, glad he'll be okay."

"Anyway, now that we got that lesson out of the way, it's time you two get your reward for your mission."

"We get a reward?" Sonchar perked up, not anticipating the prize. "I thought it was just our guild work."

"Well, that is true. You are expected to perform jobs that our clients bring in for the guild. However, we like to make sure that you are compensated for your time and effort. As for your mission… It looks like Spoink paid two thousand Poké for our services."

"W-what?!" Sonchar asked incredulously. "T-two thousand?! Kamon, can you believe it?!"

" _I take it that's a lot?_ " I asked, not grasping quite how much that was.

"Are you kidding? We're practically rich!"

"However," Rowkin jumped back in, "your portion of the earnings will be 200 Poké."

"Wait, what?" Sonchar asked, suddenly deflated. "That's all we get?"

"That is correct," Rowkin confirmed. "That is the standard protocol for Normal Rank explorers."

"B-but that's only 10%! We did the work, so shouldn't we get more of the earnings?"

"Bite your tongue!" Rowkin admonished, his tone much less understanding than during his previous lecture. "How much do you think it costs to maintain this guild? Or to make sure you are all well fed and have a warm place to sleep every night? Not to mention, how do you expect us to be able to compensate your guildmates that don't go on missions, but still work hard every single day to make sure you have the opportunities you do without any expectation of the recognition you ungrateful lot receive?"

Sonchar gulped as he was chewed out, not daring to talk back again. I had to fight my own urge to step in, as I felt Rowkin was being more harsh than necessary, even if his point had merit.

"Nothing to say, then?"

I once again had to stifle a huff.

"N-no, sir. I, uh, guess I didn't think before talking."

"Not a good habit to make, explorer. Now, dinner will be prepared within the hour. For the time being, Team Blazing Aura, you are dismissed."

"Y-yes sir."

Rowkin hopped toward the ladder, but turned around before stepping on it. "And one more thing, Kamon," he said, and I looked up to give my attention. "Please for the love Arceus, take a bath so we don't have to deal with that aroma while we eat. Thank you."

" _Well, that was unnecessary,_ " I said once he fluttered down to the second lower floor. I looked toward Sonchar, who was looking anywhere but at me. " _... Is it really that bad?_ "

"Um…" Sonchar hesitated, and I was suddenly self-conscious at his reluctance to answer. "I, uh, didn't wanna say it, but…"

" _But…_ "

"You, uh, kind of smell like a wet dog?"

I deadpanned in reaction to the comparison.

Sonchar chuckled nervously at my silence.

" _We were just at a watery dungeon, and I can't really help that I sweat when I exert myself,_ " I said snidely, but with a playful smirk. Thinking about it, did fire types even sweat? Or would that only end up killing them?

"Yeah, I know. I guess I don't really sweat much myself, being a fire type and all."

" **Huh** ," I vocalized for the first time in a while. 'I guess that answers that.'

"But, uh, sorry if that was rude," Sonchar said with a hand on the back of his head. "I was just teasing, you know?"

" _I know,_ " I answered. Anything to lighten the mood after Rowkin sabotaged it, I supposed. " _I wasn't really offended, and it probably was an apt description of me. But I'll go wash off. Can you take care of the bag for me?_ "

"Yeah, no problem," Sonchar answered, taking the treasure bag from me after I put my dog-smelling scarf in it. "See you when you're clean."

Splitting up from my partner, I made my way to the washroom to take a proper bath for the first time since my rebirth. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that the soap I had used was actually Daisy's, and that it would emit a flowery fragrance. If I wasn't self-conscious before, I certainly was at dinner when Louis kept on laughing and telling me how "pretty" I smelled.

" _I don't know who it will be first, but I swear I'm going to punch him or Rowkin in the face at some point,_ " I said in irritation of the Loudred's teasing.

"Kamon!" Sonchar whispered loudly in response, but had to stifle his own laughter at my frustration. The others turned to look at us, but looked away when they noticed my discomfort.

I huffed, trying to decide between the Loudred's big mouth and the Chatot's tiny beak, which of the two had the more punchable face at the moment. I instead settled on sulking while picking at my food. Maybe I was being a bit dramatic, but I really didn't like so much attention being drawn on me when I couldn't speak for myself. I certainly wasn't going to use Sonchar as my proxy for a petty squabble.

Other than Louis being more insufferable than usual, dinner wasn't particularly eventful. Rowkin took a moment to praise us for our performance in front of everyone, for which we received a slight applause, along with a "whoop de doo" from the Loudred that was securing his spot on top of the "punchablility ranking."

Once we were finished, before going to our own dormitory to turn in, we checked in on Chet to see how he was. As we looked into his room, we heard a loud snore, indicating that he was sleeping soundly. Deciding it would be best not to disturb him, we proceeded to our own room.

"What a day, huh?" Sonchar asked as he stretched out onto his bed.

" _You could say that,_ " I said as I plopped down onto my own pile of straw. " _Was it everything you hoped it would be?_ "

"Yeah!" Sonchar answered excitedly. "It was so much fun! I mean, it was a little scary having to deal with all the water attacks, but they weren't really all that tough! Especially with you there taking care of most of them. I, uh, actually felt a little bad that you were doing most of the work."

" _It wasn't a big deal,_ " I shrugged, but I meant it. " _It was pretty exciting, and it seemed like the right thing to do._ "

"I know, but I am still glad that I know I can count on you."

I smiled genuinely once again at his faith in me. " _I'm sure you would do the same if the situation was reversed._ "

"Y-yeah, I would," Sonchar said, sounding a little uncertain. I looked at him curiously, and then he elaborated. "It's just, uh, that I hope I can have your back just as much as you did. You're obviously way better at fighting than me, you know? That's all."

" _You sell yourself short sometimes,_ " I tried to reassure. " _For someone who was at a weakness, you stepped up pretty quickly. I don't even think they got a hit on you._ "

"Heh, I guess," Sonchar responded. "But anyway, I was pretty bummed out when we found out how little we got of the earnings. But it was worth it to see the joy on Spoink's face."

Yeah, the "joy." I wasn't sure if I should be the one to break it to Sonchar, but-

"I just hope it'll be the same reaction when it's not a staged mission."

Never mind. " _So, you did realize that._ "

"Of course. I know I can be naïve and gullible sometimes, but I'm not THAT stupid, Kamon." He stuck his tongue out and laughed, showing he wasn't really offended.

" _I know you're not. You just never called it out like I did._ "

"Yeah, but, uh… I don't know if Chet realized it was staged, you know? At first, I mean. They gave him the same mission, but he seemed, well, legitimately surprised when he realized it happened again. I think he eventually figured it out, but I really don't think we should be the ones to tell him if he didn't, you know?"

" _You're probably right. But if you did know, then why did you want to look through the entire dungeon?_ "

"I guess I just wanted it to last longer. If we just went to the end of the dungeon, we wouldn't really get to experience much of it. But, uh, I probably shouldn't have insisted on that, since we probably could have gotten Chet out of there before he decided to eat that berry."

" _Hey, there was no way you could have known that would happen,_ " I tried to assure.

"Yeah, but that's just hindsight, you know? Oh, by the way, kind of a big subject change, but I was wondering if I could ask something."

" _Yes?_ "

"Do you, uh… remember anything?"

" _Anything from what?_ " I asked.

"You know, about your, uh, past. Before you became… Has anything surfaced yet?"

" _No…_ " I answered despondently. " _I mean, there are sometimes certain feelings and instincts I can recall. But almost everything feels so… unfamiliar, I guess._ "

"I see," Sonchar said, radiating sympathy in his expression. "Heh, I remember when you first woke up, before we knew that we could speak. You seemed surprised by what the sun was, and I guess about a lot of things. It seems like that wherever you came from… maybe it wasn't the best place?"

" _I don't think so,_ " I answered. " _All I knew was that I was stoked when I saw the sun, after I nearly blinded myself by intelligently looking directly at it. When I try to think back to wherever I was, all I can picture is… just darkness._ "

That wasn't the entire truth. As I thought about it when he asked, I did vaguely recall that I was not alone. There was someone who I was with, someone that was important to me. Important enough that when I acknowledged my friendship with Sonchar, I felt as if I was replacing them. Whoever it was, was I just as protective over them as I was for Sonchar? Were they just as loyal and supportive to me as he was in the few days we had known each other? As much as I tried, nothing about this individual would surface in my mind, and I felt like a terrible person for forgetting and moving on so quickly.

"Don't think too hard on it," Sonchar said, noticing my discontent, even if he wasn't sure exactly what it was regarding. "I'm sure more will come in time. But it looks like it's really bothering you."

" **Yeah…** " I answered, but then nodded once I realized he didn't understand my single word.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for you to feel that way. I guess the last couple days, we were so focused on getting accepted into the guild, so I didn't want you to think I forgot about you."

I nodded again.

"Don't worry. Soon, I'm sure we'll be able to find out more about your situation. I mean… I don't really know how to, if I'm honest. I'm not really the most worldly Pokémon there is. But I do believe that we'll find some sort of clue the longer we're at the guild."

" _Thank you,_ " I said. As before, the gratitude of the sentiment was genuine. Yet, with him being no more knowledgeable about my situation than I was, I wasn't going to get my hopes up anytime soon. There was nobody who I could confide in that I knew would be able and willing to help me. And I wasn't going to risk my own safety and freedom, let alone Sonchar's if it became known that he was harboring me, on that gamble.

"We should get some sleep," Sonchar said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I don't know what they'll have in store for us tomorrow. But I know that I'm gonna be out of it after working out this much today. And hey, maybe if we beat Louis up, we won't have to get his wake up call in the morning."

" _Okay,_ " I chuckled slightly as I agreed. " _Goodnight, Sonchar._ "

"Goodnight, Kamon."

As expected, Sonchar drifted off shortly after closing his eyes, and I was once again left to my thoughts in the familiar darkness of the night. I certainly was grateful for my friend's assurance, and believed that he would truly be there for me in whatever capacity he was able to be. But that only did so much in making me feel any less lost. Other than my own lost memories, there was so much that I was ignorant about in this world. There were little things, like what kinds of berries were safe to eat and what types of soap were more "masculine," which were pretty easy to pick up. Then, there were other things about the larger world I didn't know about. I wasn't even sure what the name of the region I was living in was called, what the laws of the land were, and how things like that were even decided. Everything I knew about the world was isolated to this guild and a few of the places surrounding it.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to talk with Sonchar about these things. At the very least, a little more knowledge about the world would at least help me understand it and fit in better while I learned about myself. And besides, if so much time passed and I was unable to learn about who I was and where I came from, I could always make a place for myself here. For as long as my partner was willing to stick by me, I would at least not be alone.

I sighed, looking at the aforementioned Chimchar as he slept. I supposed that while sulking and feeling sorry for myself, I should take some time to appreciate what I did have. I truly was lucky that he was the one that found me on that beach. Were it anyone else… I shuddered to think of what would have happened to me. I only hoped that he knew how truly grateful I was to have him with me as I found my place in this world.

* * *

Author's Notes

So, this was sort of a filler chapter as I closed out the rest of the day after the dungeon mission. As such, not a whole lot happened, so I'm hoping the huge amounts of dialogue weren't too boring. We at least got a little bit of characterization from Kamon, as well as him getting tormented by a few of the guild residents, so hopefully that made up for it? Oh... Well, maybe next chapter will make up for it, and those who've played the game should know what's coming next!

I was also a little lazy this last month when it came to maintaining the buffer, so I'm down to a couple chapters. Since not a whole lot happened here, I'll make sure to post the next chapter on schedule regardless. However, I'm hoping to at least have another one finished by the next update and that I won't have to start extending the time frame again. We'll see what happens.


	12. The Scream

(Several mornings later…)

"Rise and shine, rookies!" came our usual wake up call, and then the footsteps as the loud-mouth trotted away.

"Ugh… Good morning, Kamon…"

" _Yeah… Good morning._ "

It had been a few days since we completed our first mission. We were given the following day off in order to rest after our first outing. Sonchar was disappointed at first, but with how sore he was from the workout of the journey, he didn't complain much. We spent that day much like the afternoon after our training session, hanging out around the guild with Chet, who was mostly recovered, and walking along the beach close to town.

The next couple of days, after we were well rested, we were immediately put back into the swing of things. Each morning, we received assignments from the bulletin board. Unfortunately, the only jobs that were available to explorers with the lowly "Normal Rank" were from the same two dungeons we had already explored. We were a bit put off by that, considering the ease of the dungeons in question. However, we appreciated the fact that the jobs we took on those days were legitimate, as opposed to the staged nonsense from our first assignment.

The jobs themselves were simple, little errands, such as tracking down items and trinkets that younger would-be adventurers left behind, though nothing as valuable as the pearl of a Spoink. As I traveled through those dungeons a second time, I wondered just how weak the clients must have been if it was too much trouble to simply make another run to retrieve their belongings. Hell, from what I was able to gather, the cost of sending us to get these things seemed to be more than the actual monetary worth of the objects themselves. I supposed they must have had more sentimental value, much like Sonchar's relic fragment.

Admittedly, I did enjoy the relative peace I felt these last few days. Without the stress of having to worry about finding a place to stay, and with us not managing to get on Rowkin's bad side since Sonchar's comment about our earnings, I felt as if I was starting to settle in. But much like Sonchar, I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to a little more excitement in our guild work now that I felt a little more at ease.

"And three…" Chet led the morning cheer.

"Smiles go for miles!"

"Okay, Pokémon," Rowkin took over to finish off the huddle. "Get to work!"

"Hooray!" The guildmates scattered as per usual.

"You ready, Kamon?" Sonchar asked me. I nodded, and we began to head out.

"Ah, you two!" Until Rowkin stopped us before we even made two steps.

"Oh, y-yes, Lieutenant?" Sonchar stuttered, not expecting to be held up.

"You two have done fine work so far," the Chatot complimented.

"Thank you, sir!" Sonchar beamed.

"In fact, while it is still very early on in your tenure with the guild, the Guildmaster and I believe that you two are ready to take on your first outlaw!"

It seemed we wouldn't have to be the ones to ask for the opportunity for more exciting work.

"R-really?" Sonchar asked.

"Indeed! The ease and efficiency in which you handled your recent missions, as well as Chet's account of how Kamon protected you and him in the first, have left an impact not seen by many new recruits. And I could tell from the last few days that you were looking for some challenging work."

"I-if you really think so…" Sonchar said.

"Do you not think you're ready?" Rowkin asked. "If you're unsure, we will not push you-"

"No, it's fine," Sonchar interrupted, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. "I mean, I am nervous, but I'm really excited as well! I'm just psyching myself up, is all."

"I see," Rowkin chuckled. "Then, if you think you're up to the task, I want you to make sure you are outfitted properly. You should have received a good bit of money from your previous outings, so take a trip to Treasure Town to make sure you have plenty of supplies for your trip. Do you two think you can manage that on your own, or would you like some help getting that figured out?"

Even when he didn't mean to, he couldn't keep the condescension out of his tone for long.

"No thank you, sir. We can take care of that on our own. Right, Kamon?"

I nodded, equally confident in our ability to do our shopping without having our hands held.

"Then, return to me once you've taken care of that, and I will help you select an outlaw to track. Team Blazing Aura, you are dismissed."

Ever the formal bird, Rowkin sent us on our way. I made a dash to grab our treasure bag, and we were on our way to Treasure Town. Our first stop was the Duskull Bank, where Sonchar withdrew a portion of our earnings. Whenever we received earnings from a mission, we would drop most of it off there that night or early the next morning if there wasn't enough time. And every single time, the floating specter with the skull-shaped face and the glowing-red eyes would make me shudder. Sonchar wasn't as perturbed by her as I was, but he did say that many Pokémon (and perhaps humans) had a fear of ghost types. Though he didn't say it, the implication that the fear was irrational was noticed, so I simply swallowed my nerves as we went through the usual transaction.

"A shame to see so much go at once, hee hee," the Duskull complained. "Come back soon."

" _Not too soon, please,_ " I said to my partner, who suppressed a chuckle at my timidness.

"You know," Sonchar said once we crossed the bridge away from the ghost, "I can take care of this on my own if she bothers you that much."

" _No, it's fine,_ " I insisted. " _She just creeps me out, I guess._ "

Sonchar wasn't able to hold in all his laughs, as a few chortles managed to escape him. As irritated as I should have been, I could at least appreciate the irony of me being the timid one in this situation. I wondered what would cause such a bizarre fear, or at least discomfort in the presence of a Pokémon I had never seen before arriving in this world, as far as my admittedly limited knowledge went.

Pushing that concern out of my mind, I continued following my partner to the stand that carried most of the goods explorers would need, the Kecleon Market.

"How are you two doing this morning?" the green shopkeeper asked as we approached.

"Pretty good. You guys?" Sonchar responded.

As per usual, Sonchar being the vocal member of our team would handle typical pleasantries as well as the transactions. Trusting his judgement in what we would need, I took in my surroundings. Overall, it was a typical, peaceful day. The sun was shining, the heat offset by a pleasant breeze blowing through the town. Each of the other stands appeared active as the denizens conducted their business. A small, green bird flew onto the roof of the stand where the statuesque Xatu did business.

And as I looked towards the bluff, I could see Douglas on the edge overlooking the bay intently. If not for the fact that he (they?) was literally rooted to the ground, I would have been worried that the Dugtrio was going to fall over the edge. I shuddered at the thought of him crash landing onto a sharp rock, but at least that would probably be a quicker end than whatever the water may have done to the ground type as he tried to desperately paddle onto shore. I supposed the silver lining if Douglas were to fall would be that I would finally know what that species looked like underneath the dirt. However, that seemed like a very poor payoff for the life of Dominic's father.

I was pulled from these thoughts by the sound of something rolling towards me. Looking down, I picked up the item in question, an apple that was being pursued by two round, blue figures laughing and bouncing as they chased their fleeing snack.

Both of these Pokémon were a bit smaller than us. The larger of the two, who stood half a head below Sonchar, had a spherical, light-blue body with a white belly, two large mouse-like ears, two stubby arms, and a black tail shaped like a lightning bolt with a large, blue sphere on the tip. The smaller one looked similar, but his entire body was a slightly darker shade of blue, save for two white blushes on his face. He also had no arms, and he bounced around on the orb at the end of his tail, reminiscent of the Spoink from a few days ago.

"Excuse me, mister," the larger one said with a voice that suggested he was almost as young as his smaller companion. "Could we get that back, please?"

I nodded affirmatively, and went to hand it back to the smaller one as he approached me. However, the instant he made contact with my hand, I was overcome with a sudden dizzy spell as the world around me began to spin. I could barely make out a "thank you" from the small Pokémon as I felt a brief but sharp pain ripple through my head. Then, everything went dark.

 _"H-h-help!" a stuttering voice screamed out. I could feel the fear and betrayal in the young, impressionable mind as he desperately waited for his big brother to come and save him._

Another sharp pain, and I found myself back in Treasure Town as the area around me began to settle in my vision.

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard Sonchar ask as he held a hand over my back.

I then noticed that I was crouched down, holding myself up on one knee with a hand over my chest, my heart thrumming and my breathing erratic.

" _Did you hear that?!_ " I urgently asked, ignoring Sonchar's concern for me as mine was focused on the screaming voice I heard.

"Hear what?" Sonchar asked, looking around.

" _The cry for help!_ "

"Um… no?" Sonchar answered with a concerned look on his face. "I didn't hear anything like that."

I quickly looked around me, and nobody else seemed to be alarmed. Well, nobody except for the brothers running the stand and the two young Pokémon that were at the front of it, each of them noticing my panicked state. I would have felt embarrassed by their quiet judgment, but I was more concerned with whoever it was I heard in distress.

"Did you guys hear anyone shout?" Sonchar awkwardly asked the spectators.

"I don't think so," the green Kecleon brother answered.

"We didn't either," the older of the children confirmed.

"N-nope!" the smaller stuttered his agreement, and suddenly, it clicked.

"Were you maybe daydreaming?" Sonchar suggested.

" _No, I wasn't,_ " I answered, and Sonchar flinched at the harshness of my tone. " _I know I heard someone, and it sounded like the small kid there._ "

Sonchar looked toward the child in question, who hid his face behind his apple at the sudden attention. Sonchar then turned back to me, frowning as he whispered, "I, uh… don't think that was him. He looks fine to me."

" _No…_ " I tried to argue, but it appeared Sonchar was right. The kids were okay, and nobody else seemed to hear anything. Was I just daydreaming? While nothing was visualized, everything felt so real and I could feel myself shivering slightly at the fear I had felt. " _Let's just finish up here,_ " I requested as I began to feel self-conscious at the staring now that the adrenaline was wearing off, probably similar to how the kid felt when our eyes were suddenly on him.

"Is your friend alright there?" one of the Kecleons asked. I wasn't looking at who spoke, but based on the voice, I guessed that it was the purple shopkeeper.

"Y-yeah," Sonchar answered, though he didn't seem to believe it. "He, uh…" Sonchar took a moment to think of something. "I think he, uh, might've sprained an ankle and that's why he fell."

" _You really are the worst liar,_ " I said with a chuckle that was halfhearted at best. He didn't seem amused at the observation, but neither was I really.

"If you say so," the purple reptile said.

"We gotta go now," the older boy announced. "We found someone that is gonna help us go and find our missing Water Float. Thanks again for the extra apples, Mr. Kecleons! You too, Azzy."

He nudged the smaller kid forward, who obediently voiced his gratitude. "Thank you!"

"You're both welcome," green responded. "Have a great day you two!"

"Bye!" the boys said, the older waving as they headed towards the outskirts of the town.

"Extra apples?" Sonchar repeated the larger boy's words.

"Oh yes, they came by to purchase some food earlier," the green Kecleon responded. It occurred to me that it would probably be beneficial to learn these merchants' names. "Their mother has become ill recently, so Spence the Marill has taken up a lot of the responsibilities while she recovers."

"She's sick?" Sonchar asked with a sympathetic expression. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I sure hope so. Honestly, I don't really know what she's come down with, since he didn't want to say much about it. I think he tries to stay upbeat to keep his little brother Azule's spirits up, but I'm not so sure she's doing well."

'Azule?' I thought. Didn't he go by Azzy? Perhaps, it was just a nickname.

"Oh…" Sonchar said, eyes downcast as he listened to the Kecleon describe the kids' predicament.

"Yeah," the Kecleon sighed. "I know times are tough for them, so I snuck a couple extra apples in there for them. It's not much, but it at least gives them each a small meal for the day."

"No, it really helps," Sonchar argued. "Trust me, when you're down and out, any little bit makes a difference."

Of course, Sonchar knew that situation all too well, didn't he? With him not having been in the best place in life, I wondered if he was in a similar situation with as those two kids before we met. Considering that, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the Marill and his brother. I would have asked what species his brother was, but I figured now wasn't the best time to inquire about such things.

"I sure hope so," the Kecleon said with a half-smile. "Anyway, you two kids should be on your way."

" _Kids?_ " I asked. Did we really appear that young?

"You said you had something exciting to do today, so we wouldn't want to hold you up."

"Oh yeah, that's right! Kamon, we should get back to the guild. Rowkin's waiting on us. Bye, Mr. Kecleons!"

" _Do they both go by that?_ " I asked as I heard Sonchar repeat what the Marill called the Kecleon brothers.

"I'm not sure?" Sonchar said with an uncertain shrug. "They didn't correct Spence, so I figured it was okay."

Speaking of the Marill, we ended up seeing them again as we were heading back to the guild. They were speaking with another Pokémon who had a dark brown lower body and yellow upper body, the colors connecting at his pouch of a belly in a wavy line. He had a trunk in place of a nose, and from what I could see, the bags under his eyes suggested that this poor Pokémon was even more deprived of sleep than I was.

"It's this way, Mr. Drowzee!" Spence pointed and led towards the crossroads on the edge of Treasure Town. He must have been the Pokémon that was going to help them find the item they mentioned earlier.

"Slow down there, sonny!" the Pokémon called Drowzee called as he followed the Marill. He bumped into me accidentally as we were walking along the same path. "Whoa, excuse me, sir," he politely apologized, and then continued his pursuit.

As I attempted to make a gesture to let him know I was fine, I was overcome with another spell of dizziness. I braced myself for the sharp pain that I knew was to follow. Only this time, a loud, high pitched screech rang through my head in addition to the pain as my senses left me.

 _"H-h-help!" came the familiar cry for protection. This time, I was looking directly at the trembling kid trying to hide himself behind the pearl on his tail as he sobbed helplessly. I harrumphed in irritation at the pitiful sight of the cowering Azurill in front of me._

Wait, where did those feelings come from, and how did I know he was a-

"You are only making things more difficult for yourself," I heard myself say. "I am losing my patience. If you don't do as I say, it will only mean more trouble for you." The brat's sobs became full-blown wails, and I felt myself sigh in frustration. "So be it. We'll be doing things the hard way, then."

No, this wasn't my voice! I wasn't the one saying these things or thinking these horrible thoughts! But why did it feel like the words were coming from me, and I had no control over it? Try as I might, I couldn't stop the two yellow arms from raising in front of me, preparing some sort of attack directly at the cowering child.

" **No!** " I screamed out as I once again found myself by the bridge in Treasure Town.

"Kamon!" Sonchar gasped at my sudden shout. "What happened?!"

I tried to regain control of my breathing, but the sensations of what I just felt and saw were still fresh in my mind. Little Azule crying and shivering in fear, and the inclination to harm him out of frustration of his lack of compliance in whatever he was being forced to do. There was even a sick tingling of joy as I felt myself prepare to unleash some sort of an attack on the poor child, who I knew would never be the same again if he made it out of that encounter alive.

"Kamon, are you with me?" Sonchar snapped me out of my thoughts as he grabbed me by the shoulders and not so gently shook me. I immediately began to look around for the Azurill, only to see that he, his brother, and their assailant were nowhere in sight. "Kam-"

" _Yes, I'm here,_ " I answered. " _Something is happening to those kids._ "

"This again?" Sonchar said simply. He then seemed to realize how impatient he sounded as he quickly added, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound dismissive. But what makes you say that?"

" _I saw it this time._ "

"Saw what?"

" _I saw Azule cowering in front of me,_ " I answered, realizing after how weird it must have sounded as Sonchar looked at me confused. " _Not 'me,' I mean… I was someone else._ "

"Uh…" Sonchar managed to get out, clearly not following along. "You were 'someone else?' Who were you?"

" _I think it was that Pokémon, 'Mr. Drowzee,' that was with them just now._ "

"How do you know you were him?"

" _He had the same voice I heard in my vision. And he had the same yellow arms. I don't know who else it would be._ "

"I see…" he said skeptically. "I, uh… I mean, it's not that I don't trust you, Kamon, but…"

" _But what?_ " I asked impatiently.

"Well, you do realize how… crazy this sounds, right?"

" _I know what I saw, Sonchar._ "

"Yes, but… I don't know, Kamon. Mr. Drowzee seemed like a nice Pokémon helping those kids. And I've never heard about a Riolu who sees visions like that."

" _Have you heard about any humans turning into Pokémon?_ " I countered.

"No, but…"

" _You told me before that weirder things have happened than that. I can't explain how that vision came to me, but I felt it, Sonchar. I felt his desire to hurt that kid just because he wouldn't do what he was being told._ " Sonchar flinched at my description of the events, but I continued on. " _He's a monster, and that poor kid is in danger. I'm going to go look for them._ "

"Okay, I believe you, Kamon," Sonchar said in an about-face from before. "I'll go with you. Let's hurry and see if we can catch up to them."

" _Thank you,_ " I said, relieved that he finally seemed to trust me.

As we ran toward the crossroads, we passed by a few onlookers that witnessed our argument. Realizing I may have shouted out as I came to, I had to push down my concern for what they may have heard. There were more important things to worry about at the moment. Once we reached the intersection, I mentally cursed as it was empty with no sign of the kids or Drowzee.

"They're not here," Sonchar stated the obvious. "Let's ask someone if they know where they went."

" _You lead,_ " I said.

We made our way to the east side of town to ask some of the local vendors and patrons. The first one we ran into was the Duskull from the bank, who giggled irritatingly and told us they went "somewhere out of town." That much we figured, so we asked a pair of bear Pokemon, who said they didn't see anything. Sonchar thanked them, and then we went on to ask the Electivire from the Link Shop if he had seen anything, only to learn that he did not. This continued on until we made our way back to the Kecleon brothers. We figured they must have had some idea, as the kids seemed to confide in them somewhat. Unfortunately, they only knew that they were looking for their family heirloom, and suggested that they must have left town to go and find it.

"Do you have any idea where they might have gone, Kamon?" Sonchar asked once we were back at the intersection.

" _No, I don't know this area,_ " I answered, frustrated.

"I know, but from what you saw. What did the place look like?"

I thought for a moment, taking myself back to that uncomfortable place. " _I think it was on some sort of mountain, or cliff,_ " I said as images started to appear in my mind. " _But nothing really stood out about the place that I can think of._ "

"Do you think you might know when this all took place?"

" _I'm not sure. I think it may have been close to evening? I can't say, because everything seemed a shade darker in my head, but not natural, if that makes sense._ "

"Okay, let me think for a second… The closest place I can think of is maybe Mt. Bristle. But it's a bit of a walk from here. Maybe if we go, we can catch them on the road?"

" _So, we're just going to hope that's where they went?_ "

"It's all I've got," Sonchar shrugged. "Nobody else has any idea, so this might be the only chance we have at finding them."

" _Alright, let's go, then,_ " I reluctantly agreed.

As we traveled the roads north-east from Treasure Town, I had to suppress the anxiety that was threatening to overtake me. It was a leap of faith we were taking, and I worried that it wouldn't take us to our intended targets. 'There has to be a reason I got that vision,' I told myself over and over. I had to believe that I saw the event so I could stop it from happening, and not just so we could tell his family what happened to the Azurill.

"Look up there!" Sonchar pointed ahead of us, and I sighed in relief as the Marill came into view. "Spence!" he shouted to get the little Marill's attention.

"Huh?" Spence said as he turned toward us. "Oh, it's you guys! Have you guys seen my little brother and Mr. Drowzee?"

"No, we haven't," Sonchar answered. "We were actually coming to look for you guys."

"You were? Mr. Drowzee was taking me and my brother up to Mt. Bristle, but I lost sight of them a while ago."

He didn't know that he was intentionally left behind and that his brother was in danger. I wasn't quite sure if I should feel relieved at that or not.

"How long ago was that?" Sonchar asked.

"Probably an hour or so. You said you were looking for us, right? Do you think you can take me to them?"

"Uh… I think Kamon and I will go, but it might be dangerous for you."

"I know. That's why Mr. Drowzee was gonna protect us. We'll be fine when we catch up to them."

Sonchar hesitated. He did not want to tell Spence that Drowzee was the one his brother needed protection from. But the more time we spent trying to keep this kid out of danger, the farther ahead they would get. " _Tell him the truth,_ " I suggested.

"But… Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Huh?" Spence said, only hearing part of the conversation.

" _Tell him what's going on, and then to go back into town to get help._ "

Sonchar sighed, not comfortable with what he had to do. But he told him the truth (leaving out the part about the vision), knowing it was our best chance of keeping him out of the same danger his brother was in. Spence was understandably horrified, but would not listen to Sonchar when asked to stay behind.

"He's my little brother! I have to protect him!"

"Look Spence," Sonchar said, kneeling down to the young Marill's level. "I really don't like to say this, but…" He took a breath. "You'll only be getting in our way if you come with us."

"W-what?" the Marill said, and I almost did the same. It wasn't like Sonchar to be this bluntly honest, but I knew it was for the best.

"The Pokémon there are dangerous, and so is Mr. Drowzee. Kamon and I are an Exploration Team. We are trained to do these things. The best thing you can do is go to Officer Magnezone and tell him to come and find us. Can you do that for us?"

Holding back tears, Spence acquiesced. "You promise you'll save my brother from that jerk?"

"We promise," Sonchar said with what I guessed was false confidence. "But we've gotta move now, all of us. We'll be back with your brother soon, okay?"

"Okay," Spence said with a sniff. "I'll go now. Please bring Azzy back to me."

Sonchar nodded, and the Marill darted back to town as quickly as he could. Were it not for the severity of the situation, the image of the spherical Pokémon running on his stubby legs would have been funny in an endearing way. Once the kid was a bit of at a distance, Sonchar let out a breath he was holding now that he no longer needed to keep his composure.

" _You did good there,_ " I praised my partner. " _Now, let's go and save the other one._ "

"Okay," Sonchar said with sigh. "I'm right behind you."

We continued on toward Mt. Bristle at an urgent pace. We reached the base of the mountain in a matter of minutes, but didn't meet anyone on the road to there. That could only mean that Drowzee and Azzy were already making their way to wherever I saw them in my vision. My head slowly began to pound as we ascended up the cliff.

* * *

Author's Notes

We finally got to the main plot device of the story! Those who know the game know that the visions Kamon got were from the Dimensional Scream. I decided to expand on it, in that Kamon was able to feel like the person who gave him the vision. This will change for later incidents where he touches an object instead of a Pokemon, but I thought it was a nice, little tweak on the ability. Also, Azzy's name, Azule, is basically blue in Spanish (azul), and Spence the Marill was just a random name because I'm a lazy ass. Not really much else to say about this chapter, so hope you enjoyed.

Next chapter will be the climb through Mt. Bristle, and those who've played the game know that it's where things start to get a bit tougher for the player. That will definitely be represented in the chapter, so fair warning before we get there. I was able to churn out my most recent buffer chapter this weekend, so I am still at two ahead of my posting schedule. I'm hoping I can keep that up so I won't end up having to delay the next chapter. Well, wish me luck!


	13. Mt Bristle

Quick note: Things start getting a little more graphic in this chapter. It's nothing I would consider mature, but I wanted a fair warning before the sudden tone change.

* * *

We continued on toward Mt. Bristle at an urgent pace, reaching the base of the mountain in a matter of minutes. We didn't meet anyone on the road, which could only mean that Drowzee and Azzy were already making their way to wherever I saw them in my vision. Pushing through the pain that was running through my head, I proceeded to make my way to start scaling the cliff, until I was stopped by Sonchar grabbing onto my arm.

"Wait, Kamon."

" _What is it?_ " I asked, not wanting to waste any time.

"Before we go up there, I need you to know what we're about to get into."

" _What do you mean?_ "

"Hold on, give me just one second…" Sonchar said as he looked around the ground near us. "Ah, this should work."

" _What are you doing?_ " I asked as my partner as he picked up a stone from the ground.

"Just watch," he answered vaguely. He then took aim and threw the stone toward the mountain. I was about to ask why he did that until seeing the stone disappear in a flash of light just before reaching the slope.

" _Wait, is that a..._ " I started to ask.

"Yeah, that was what I wanted to warn you about," Sonchar answered. "Mt. Bristle is a mystery dungeon. I wanted to make sure you knew before we stepped through, after what happened in the beach cave."

" _So, they're not all hidden inside caves and other structures?_ "

"Nope. Some of them are in forests or mountains like these. But when we step through, we'll end up in a random spot just like the other dungeons, though I think this one will just be a long trek up to the top, instead of a bunch of different floors."

That was definitely good to know. I imagined I would be of no use if I began to panic once we stepped through. " _Thanks for letting me know,_ " I said.

"Of course," Sonchar responded. "Are you ready to go?"

" _Yes, let's go._ "

Gathering our wits, we proceeded, and I braced myself for the familiar feeling of traveling through the spatial distortion. Once we passed through, we found ourselves on a rocky slope that was flat enough to walk, but would certainly be a workout to traverse. While I didn't have a view of the entire perimeter, what I could see suggested that the entire dungeon was enclosed by very high walls of earth and stone. Needless to say, the only way to go was up.

The path itself was mostly linear. Unlike the different floors of mazes of the caves we plundered, the terrain here was straightforward with almost no branched paths. The only real obstacles were the times the slopes would be too steep to simply walk over. It was these moments where Sonchar shined. The monkey had a natural ability to climb, and being rather light, was able to easily scale the ridges. It was a bit more of a task for me, as my paws were not quite as well suited for steep climbing as my Chimchar partner's. Thankfully, he was always willing to lend a hand (or foot) whenever I was having trouble, which I cautiously accepted. While I was grateful for his help, being a fighting type I outweighed my fiery friend noticeably, especially with the treasure bag I carried, and I would rather not risk pulling him down with me. We were careful about it, though, as I only used his pull as a boost to my own momentum.

While the terrain was not too much of a challenge, the feral Pokémon in the area were another story. The most common pest were the poisonous, six-legged bugs called Spinarak, that had small, toxic spikes on their heads and patterns on the back of their abdomens that resembled a cartoony face. Though they were the weakest of the feral Pokémon, I shuddered whenever I heard the ticking as they skittered up and along the ridges of the cliff. A simple ember flare from my partner was enough to make them scatter before they came too close, but almost always after they shot a string of silk in an attempt to root us in place. This mostly succeeded in being a nuisance, as it was a rather tedious task to pick the webbing from our feet and ankles.

It became a real problem when other Pokémon would take advantage of our momentary slowness. As our feet stuck to the ground, we were occasionally attacked from the sky by dark blue bird Pokémon with red faces and chests, or Taillow. The avian Pokémon would dive through the air, clipping us with their wings or pecking at us with their beaks. Even when our mobility wasn't hindered from the Spinaraks' webs, they were difficult to attack. When they flew close, I would attempt to swing at them, but due to their very small frames and maneuverability, they were able to slightly alter their course or turn away entirely. And being a fighting type, I felt the stings of their attacks much more intensely than my partner, a reverse of our situation in the previous dungeons.

Fortunately, my partner was faring a bit better than I was. Being lighter on his feet, he was able to nimbly evade their dive-bombing. Much like me, he found zero luck when trying to deal with them physically by scratching with his claws, as their evasive frames were barely half his size, if that. Confident that they were at the advantage, the avians kept picking at my partner, who began to grow frustrated from their onslaught. Pushed too far, he locked on to one of the birds flying at him, and as it flew close, it was caught in his fiery breath. Feathers aflame, the Taillow lost control of its flight and skidded toward the ground where it would bother us no more.

Though his Ember only neutralized one of the feral Taillow, the display made the others think twice before approaching him again. Instead, the few that were courageous enough focused their attention on me. Knowing that I was not going to find any success in swatting at the flying foes, I took inspiration from my partner by switching to a ranged tactic. Rolling out of the path of one of the Taillow, I grabbed hold of a geopebble, and continued to evade. Gauging their distance and trajectory, I waited until one was far enough for me to throw, but close enough that I would be confident I could still catch it. Once I found that opportunity, I pitched the stone, hitting the Taillow mid-flight, where it met a quick end as it crash landed a few feet in front of me.

As I checked on my partner, I notice him wince a little at the fates of the Taillow we subdued. Though we were the ones acting on the defense, he was still apprehensive about resorting to such means. But he knew this wasn't the time to sulk, so he regrouped with me where we displayed a united front. He then sighed in relief as the rest of the flock learned the lesson of their fallen members, and flew away cawing. I wanted to share his relief, but I only worried that their cries were meant to alert others to our intrusion. Nothing could be done about that, so I grabbed an oran berry for each of us to rejuvenate as we resumed course.

Unfortunately, the restorative properties of the berry were only able to ease the pain in our wounds. They did nothing for the pounding in my head. I was able to ignore it while I was focused on the Taillow flock, but moments after we sent them flying, the ache came back full force. I tried to hide the pain from my partner, and it seemed as if he was unaware of the problem. Yet, as we were continued our trek, his ability to effortlessly scale the ridges remained unhindered, while I began to follow his progress in a reversal of roles.

We climbed our way to another mostly flat trail that I slowly brought myself onto. Sonchar, being the courteous one that he was, offered to help me when he saw me slide down a few times as I tried to push myself up. Being the stubborn one that I was, I refused his hand, confident that I should have had the capability of carrying my own weight. The ridge wasn't much higher than any I'd already scaled, so I wasn't going to burden him. So, I improvised. I planted my feet on the ground, crouching slightly on one leg, and then unleashing the momentum I would when using a Quick Attack, only aiming directly above me.

It wasn't my most graceful landing when I did reach the trail. As I got in the air, I realized I overshot the jump quite a bit, and found myself wincing as I landed pretty hard on my feet. Sonchar gave a look of concern, but did not ask the obvious question, for which I was grateful. I took a moment to rub the feeling back into my feet, and retook the lead as I tried to will the pain out of my head.

As we walked the trail, I gauged the distance from where we were to either the peak or the base. It seemed as if we were just a bit over halfway up the cliff, which gave relief that we made significant progress, but also dread that we still had roughly the same distance to go. I then mentally slapped myself, as I remembered that the reason we were here was to rescue Azzy. I would just have to push through my discomfort until we were able to get him away from Drowzee, and see to it that the scumbag was dealt with.

To my disdain, we were soon harassed by a strange, new type of bird, if one could even call them birds. These feathered monstrosities stood twice as high as me, but had no wings to speak of. Instead, they had two heads, each with a long neck sporting from their brown, puffy bodies and a beak that looked as if they could easily skewer the two of us simultaneously. And they were damn fast, too. The instant they spotted me, one sprinted at me, taking large steps on their massive taloned feet. Before I could react, it was towering over me, murderous intent in all four of its eyes. I could barely roll away as it attempted to pluck the life out of me with one of its heads. Needless to say, it did not let up in its pecking frenzy, allowing me no chance to even attempt a counter attack.

I quickly found myself backed against a ridge as the behemoth of a bird had me cornered. Attempting to finish me off, it flung its left head at me in the same motion as before. With nowhere to flee, I did the only thing I could think of. I moved my head just out of the beak's path, grabbing it with both hands and squeezing it with all my strength. The other head let out a painful screech from the pressure, causing me to loosen my hold slightly at the grating cry. I still held on, feeling the bone-like structure crack in my grip. Instead of trying to fight me off with its other beak, it scraped at my chest with one of its taloned feet in its attempt to regain its freedom. It was successful, as the stinging sensation caused me to clench my now bleeding abdomen. I braced myself for the attack that was to come, but to my relief, the bird no longer was interested in fighting and took off in a panic.

I let out a sigh, and then realized that as I was fleeing the wretched bird, I had lost sight of Sonchar. Fighting past the pain from the scratches, I ran in the direction I believed was where I was split from him. I wanted to feel relieved when I found him, but he seemed to be in the same predicament that I was in. Only, instead of a dual-headed beast, he was being pressured by a greyish-blue, humanoid Pokémon that was swinging slow, but very impacting chops at my partner. 'Must be a fighting type like me,' I figured. Sonchar, to his credit, was narrowly avoiding each blow, as I imagined a single hit would do more than the stinging I felt from the talons scraping across my chest. Gritting my teeth, I threw the treasure bag from my back so that I could charge at my partner's assailant unhindered.

I caught the Pokémon on the back of its head with my elbow, causing it to stagger onto a knee as it clutched where I had hit it. No longer being pressured, Sonchar took the moment to back away at a safe distance while the humanoid stood back up and turned its angered gaze toward me as it took a fighting stance. Taking my own form and the initiative, I charged at the fighting type, thinking I could use my quicker speed to immediately gain the upper hand. If only that was the case. To my surprise, the Pokémon was able to grab a hold of my wrist with its vice-like grip, and used my momentum to flip me forward and right onto my back.

I felt the wind knocked out of me as soon as I had hit the ground, and the fighting type stood over me with a smirk. Were I in a clearer state of mind, I may have been surprised by the feral Pokémon's display of arrogance. But at that moment, I was more concerned with regaining control over my own breathing as the feral raised a foot to stomp my head into the ground. Before it could slam down, though, it staggered forward slightly as my partner unleashed a flurry of scratches. The fighting type winced as he was pushed back by the Fury Swipes, but soon caught hold of one of Sonchar's hands much like it did with me. It then swung the other right into Sonchar's gut, causing my partner to clench it with his free hand as he kneeled forward from the pain.

As the feral raised its arm to chop at Sonchar's neck, I felt a surge of adrenaline as I pushed myself off the ground. I kicked at the back of the humanoid's knee, freeing my partner from its grip as it stumbled. I then proceeded to smash my metallic wrist bump into the back of its head like before in an attempt to knock it out, but it only groaned in annoyance. I went for another hit, but once again, it managed to catch my hand as it was in motion. However, I did not allow it to throw me around like it did before. I moved my caught hand so it was around its neck while placing the other around the back of its head. With its superior physical strength, it was able to stop me from finishing it off quickly and was about to pull itself free, but I would not allow that. I kneed the fighting type in the back, and once I felt it lose its resistance, I used all my force to snap the creature's neck, allowing it to slump forward as it would never bother us again.

By this point, my adrenaline was starting to wear off, and the area around me began to spin. I was able to take a few dizzy steps away from the fallen Pokémon before I fell to a knee, clutching my head as it felt it was being torn inside out. I must have been seething rather loud as I felt Sonchar shaking me and screaming something incoherent to me. The noise only caused me to cringe even more, so I had to hold up a hand in hopes that it would get him to settle down. Thankfully, that seemed to do the trick, as he took the hint and quieted down. I regained control over my breathing as I felt the pain once again slowly begin to subside, though not nearly at a level that I was comfortable with.

" _Oran… berry…_ " I managed to project, a pang in my head between each word.

Sonchar muttered something incoherent in response, but then did as I asked and brought the requested item to me. I quickly took it, having to force myself to swallow it down. Like before, it brought quick relief to the pain from the bird's talons and the impact from the fighting type, but the headache remained persistent. All I could do was take a few more moments to catch my breath, and hope the pain would remain at a "tolerable" level.

"Look, Kamon…" Sonchar began to say.

" _I'm fine, Sonchar,_ " I cut him off, impatience clear in my tone.

"N-no you're not," Sonchar stuttered, nervous as he backed a few steps from me. "You're h-hurt, Kamon. I know you just wanna help save Azzy, but y-you're gonna get yourself killed! Just look at yourself."

" _That won't happen,_ " I stubbornly replied. " _My head has just… been aching for a bit. But I can… keep going._ "

Somehow, my mental voice sounded just as pitiful as I imagined I would have sounded if I actually spoke. It almost felt as if I was trying to catch my breath in between words. Really, it was just the persistent pang that had been grating my head ever since we arrived at the dungeon. And despite my best attempts at reassuring my partner that I could still fight, there was no hiding just how exhausted I was getting. The slight bit of blood that was still trickling due to the flightless avian made sure of that.

"Maybe we could just… wait for some help," Sonchar suggested. "Spence went to the authorities, so Officer Magnezone should be here soon. And we'll be more rested to help if they need it."

" _If you want to wait, then you can,_ " I said, suppressing a wince at his betrayed expression. " _Look… we're almost to the top. We're bound to run into them soon. If you want to wait for the officer, then I can go on my own. But I'm not stopping until I find them._ "

"Okay," Sonchar sighed. "If you… if you're not gonna stop, then I'll keep going too. I'm not gonna let you tumble down the cliff if I can help it." A slight chuckle escaped me at the terrifying thought, but the amusement faded just as quickly as it hit me. "And let's, uh… get you cleaned up a bit first, okay?"

I sighed as I wasn't too concerned about being a little dirty from my wounds, but I decided it wouldn't do any harm to placate him. Sonchar poured a bit of water from a canteen onto my hands so that I could rinse the bit of dried blood off of my paws, and then helped me haphazardly bandage the scratches on my chest. Other than a few bruises, there were no wounds that needed to be cleaned from the fighting type, which Sonchar explained was a Machop and the bird a Doduo as he was aiding me.

Once that was taken care of, I was able to insist that we resume course without feeling too guilty. However, he gave the condition that we take the remainder of the trek slowly so as not to wear ourselves out. I internally groaned as I wanted to catch up to Drowzee quickly as I felt we wasted enough time, but once again, I acquiesced to my partner's concerns.

Fortunately, we were hit with little resistance from that point on. Admittedly, I felt a bit of dread once I saw that we had to deal with another Doduo, but we were prepared this time. I got its attention so that it would be distracted, allowing Sonchar to burn it from behind with an Ember. Much like the last one, the instant the bird felt a bit of pain, it tucked its figurative tail in between its legs and fled. Apparently, it didn't take need for the flight instincts to completely take over (even if that was the only flight they could manage), and I was relieved to know I wouldn't have another set of scratches to clean or another beak to feel crushing between my paws.

We arrived at the end of the path, and were about to step onto the plateau. I learned from my partner that though the dungeon was different than the others in that it wasn't split into multiple floors, it was similar in that the final area would be its own smaller area. As we reached the doorway, we split our last oran berry and took half each to make sure we would be as energized as possible before confronting Drowzee. Taking a breath, we stepped through, and as we arrived, I felt a sense of déjà vu as I took in the familiar surroundings from my vision.

"Kamon, look!" Sonchar whispered loudly while pointing ahead of us. "There he is!"

Looking ahead, I spotted them, or at least Drowzee, though he hadn't yet noticed us due to his back facing us. My guess was the Azurill was face to face with him, directly behind our line of sight, and I prayed that we were not too late.

" _Let's go,_ " I signaled to my partner and we began to approach.

"You are only making things more difficult for yourself."

I stopped in my tracks as I heard the familiar irritated sentence. We apparently arrived at just the moment my vision took place, and the scene was playing out just as I had seen it. I shuddered as I hearkened back to when I felt like I was saying those terrible things, and even if Azzy was blocked from my sight, I could still see his terrified face hiding behind the sphere of his tail.

"So be it. We'll be doing things the hard way then."

"Kamon!" Sonchar screamed ahead of me as Drowzee was about to unleash his attack on the child.

" **No!** " I screamed as I snapped myself out of my fear. Putting every ounce of power as I could into my legs, I made a mad dash directly at the Drowzee, intending on putting him down in one fell swoop.

* * *

Author's Notes:

This was a pretty interesting chapter to write. As I said last update, this is where the game started to become a little challenging, and I like to say that I represented that pretty well at least in this chapter. Sorry to leave you at a cliffhanger here, but I can promise the next chapter will be posted as scheduled, as I still have a couple chapters in my buffer and am looking to get a good head-start on the next.


	14. Drowzee

Quick Note: This chapter will continue the theme of the previous one in terms of upping the violence. Also, please check the Author's Notes at the end of the chapter for an announcement.

* * *

It should have been instant. With Drowzee's attention on the kid, his flank was perfectly exposed for a concussive blow to the back of his head. Tired as I was, I had more than enough left in me to ensure that the portly criminal would torment little Azule no longer. And with every bit of power I could muster, I had every intention on capitalizing on that opportunity.

But when had anything worked out that easily for me?

As I swung my metallic wrist towards Drowzee's exposed dome, I felt my movement halt, and I was frozen in place. The sudden loss of momentum felt almost as if I had run into a stone wall. It took a few seconds for me to get my bearings, and when I did, I was face to face with a surprised looking Drowzee, who I surmised was a Psychic type due to my predicament.

"Let him go!" Sonchar shouted as Drowzee scrutinized me while holding me in his telekinetic grip. He looked over at my partner, and the recollection became apparent in his expression.

"Oh, it's you two," he said stoically, unimpressed as he recalled our first encounter. "I believe I ran into the two of you in Treasure Town, didn't I? I take it you've been following me."

Not responding to his rhetorical question, I fought to regain control of my autonomy. Try as I might, the only movement I was able to feel was a slight twitch of the finger and a snarl on my face as I visualized what I was going to do the moment I was free.

"I thought I would have more time before I was noticed here," Drowzee said with a hint of irritation. "But it seems that I was a bit careless if I was found out so quickly. I assume you are affiliated with that guild of bounty hunters?"

Unable to speak - not that I would have graced him with a verbal response if I could - I merely kept my glare. Sonchar, however, decided to speak up. "Yes, w-we are!" he said shakily. "So just let him go n-now, and give up!"

"Oh! I see what's going on here," Drowzee said, expression morphing into an amused condescension. "And here I was concerned for a moment. But looking at your physical conditions, and you shivering over there, my guess is that you two are still wet behind the ears. Am I correct in my assessment?"

Still with no control over my functions, I wasn't able to look back at my partner. But judging by the Psychic type's chuckle, the silence answered his question.

"It would seem that I am correct. You two are as inexperienced as they come. Still, I must commend you for making it up to here so shortly after me. I can tell the feral Pokémon on the mountain did a real number on you, as I don't recall you looking so weary during our first passing."

" **Urgh…** " I grunted as I felt my autonomy returning to me. However, I let that be known too soon, as the instant I tried to swing at him, I felt the Psychic grip on me tighten and my body was thrown to the ground. I could only plant my arms down in time to catch myself from landing face first.

"Ah ah ah!" the Psychic type taunted as all my motions were once again seized. I assumed he was directing that at me, until he continued. "I wouldn't get any closer if you value your friend's life here. One more step, and I will send him tumbling off the edge of this mountain."

Sonchar whimpered at the hostage situation Drowzee had improvised. He must have been about to try and fight the Psychic type off of me before being disarmed by the warning. I felt myself seething knowing that this scumbag was using my well-being as a threat against my partner. I wanted to tell him not to worry about me, that saving Azule was what was important here; not some pathetic human-turned-Pokémon who didn't even have any idea who he was.

I knew Sonchar would not let himself be responsible for something like that happening to me, though. For whatever reason, he held me in a regard higher than I deserved, and he would do whatever he could to keep me around. And now, I was stuck in this helpless position where my life was being used as a bargaining chip so this criminal could go free. My only hope was that his hold would slip again, or that his power would deplete and I could capitalize on the opportunity. Yet, I was certain he would likely not allow such a chance to occur again.

"Here's what's going to happen," Drowzee declared. "You are going to take a little nap, and I am going to finish my business here. So, I expect the two of you to be cooperative, and nobody will have to get hurt."

"W-what do you mean, 't-take a nap?'" Sonchar stuttered. "What are you planning to do?"

"Don't you worry about it, little Chimchar. Just wait over there while I deal with your friend here. Speaking of which, Riolu," he turned his gaze back to me, raising both hands in my direction, palms extended. "I'm going to need you to relax..."

I felt my body slowly fighting off the tension as I struggled for control. It took every bit of concentration I had not to allow it to succumb to the Hypnosis that was being employed.

"That's right…" the Psychic type spoke in a faux-soothing tone. "You've worked yourself hard getting up to here. I can feel the fatigue that you fought to ignore setting in. Now… Let yourself rest… You've earned it after everything you've done."

" **Geh…** "

I grunted pathetically as I felt myself losing this battle. Every bit of willpower I had was being shattered as the Psychic type influenced my state of mind. I tried to call out to Sonchar through our mental link, to tell him not to worry about me and to strike this scumbag down, or at least distract him so I could regain my freedom and take care of him. But even that was too much for me at this moment, as I couldn't even hear the words in my own mind, let alone reach his. But…

" **S… Sonch-** " I tried using my voice to get my partner's attention, only getting a little bit out before I my voice gave out.

"K-Kamon?" Sonchar whimpered in response.

" **Don't… don't let hi- him win…** " I said between short, lethargic breaths. " **He's on- only bluffing… We can… take him…** "

"What is this now?" Drowzee asked curiously. "I wasn't expecting a human tongue."

"What?" Sonchar gasped guiltily as Drowzee caught on. Normally, I would have been worried as well. But as the Psychic type's curiosity took over, I felt the effects of the Hypnosis lessen ever so slightly.

"It's not very common one meets a Pokémon that still speaks the language of our former captors. Especially one as far removed from the generation of those who lived in that era. I wonder… What else you are you hiding in there?"

" **Agh!** " I groaned as I felt his iron grip on me return. Though the grip caused me more discomfort, I was relieved that I no longer felt myself drifting off to sleep. That was something I could work with… if only I could find a way to free myself from his control. " **Sonchar!** " I screamed, begging my partner to jump into action.

"Guh!" I heard a thump, and then Drowzee grunting as he staggered forward, catching himself just before tumbling over me. "What the-"

"Leave us alone, you big jerk!" came a high-pitched command.

Startled, Drowzee turned his attention to his assailant, the little Azurill that we came to rescue. The distraction caused him to release his hold over me, but I waited before striking. I used the moment to quietly unstrap the treasure bag from my back. As I was about to set it down, I could see my partner in my peripheral about to spring into action. " _Not yet,_ " I projected to him, preferring to wait for an opportunity so I wouldn't be put in that same state of helplessness.

"You little shit!" an enraged Drowzee shouted, causing all of Azule's bravado to disappear in an instant as his eyes teared up and his body shivered. "All you needed to do was to stay quiet and cooperate, and you would be fine! Now, none of you are leaving this place!"

The Drowzee's arm once again extended, the Azurill found himself the target of his attack for a second time. However, this time, I was ready for it. Stepping up from my crouched position, I leapt at the Psychic type, who was unable to intercept my attack from the point-blank range. Though I didn't have the same momentum from my first attempt, my strike landed true as my metallic wrist sent Drowzee stumbling forward, falling flat on his face. I knew the attack wouldn't put him down permanently, but it at least gave us room to fight back.

"Agh…" Drowzee groaned as he began to slowly pick himself up. Azule took his opportunity to run towards Sonchar.

" _Tell him to get out of here, and then help me take this bastard down. Do NOT hesitate if he tries to hold me down again._ "

"G-got it!" Sonchar answered, after which he shooed the Azurill to the exit of the dungeon waypoint.

While my partner took care of Azule, I rushed back to Drowzee before he could recover. He only got up to his feet by the time I reached him, delivering a flurry of punches and elbows to his head and body. Unable to match my speed, even in my weakened state, he tried to raise his arm to catch me back in his mental grip. But I would not allow him the opportunity, as I struck his arm down each time it reached out, and pressed on the assault.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold this up for long, though. Having already been physically drained from the climb up here, my attacks lacked their usual punch. And that was without taking the bulky Psychic type's natural resistance to my best attacks. All I could hope to do was to keep him busy long enough for my partner to rejoin me. But the longer I kept up my assault, the slower my blows came, and I eventually found myself back in the familiar, frustrating predicament I was in barely a minute ago.

"You little…" Drowzee panted as he had me back under his control, a sneer in his eyes and a snarl obscured partly by his trunk.

His extended arm motioned down quickly, and my body followed suit as I was slammed into the ground, unable to catch myself on my paws this time. I felt a new pressure on my already aching head as the Psychic type pressed me down with his foot. He then began twisting his foot as he pressed down, my pained grunts muffled as my face was compacted into the ground.

It wasn't until a flare of warmth flew over me that I felt the pressure on my head vanish, and I heard the outlaw cry out as he was seared by my partner. Sonchar then rushed over to try to help me up, but I could only hold myself up on my knees and an arm.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner," Sonchar apologized. "Azzy wouldn't budge when I tried to shoo him off, so I had to kind of… push him away. But are you okay?"

No, I was not okay. My body had been put through too much, and all I wanted to do was to lie down and pass out. But I knew that wasn't an option yet. " _I'm fine…_ " I lied. Drowzee was still a threat, and now, my partner would be the victim of his wrath, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep going. " _Keep fighting… We almost… have him... beat…_ "

Cringing at my panting, Sonchar turned his gaze to our foe, whose seared face gave no illusions to his unbridled contempt.

" _Go,_ " I urged my partner forward. " _I'll back you… soon._ "

Sonchar nodded, and dashed forward to meet Drowzee head on. It terrified me to send him on alone, but I knew that if he waited back with me, we would only end up in the same situation as before. My only hope was that my partner could finish him off after the damage that had already been inflicted on him.

And despite my partner's fears, he fought the outlaw valiantly. As he charged in, he swung his claws ferociously, not doing much damage, but frustrating him nonetheless. As I expected, Drowzee was quick to resort to his usual trick by seizing my partner with his Psychic attack, but I was ready for it.

" _Ember if you can!_ " I projected right away.

To my relief, whether he was able to hear my call or thought quickly on his own feet, Sonchar did as directed and sent a breath of fire in his captor's direction. Drowzee, not too keen on getting seared again, immediately backpedaled, releasing Sonchar from his grasp.

" _Don't let up,_ " I urged my partner from afar. " _Keep your sights on him so he can't trap you._ "

Sonchar did as I suggested, not allowing Drowzee out of his blast range and pressed the attack. Though I was a poor matchup to the Psychic type, Sonchar was at an advantage, if only because the outlaw could not rely on his main attack without leaving himself open to a nasty burn. And though my partner was not as skilled as I was in close combat, Drowzee was even less capable as his slow strikes could not counter attack the Chimchar's nimble form.

It was only a matter of time before either of their bodies gave out, much like mine did. I watched on in nervous anticipation as Sonchar began to lose his breath as he pelted Drowzee with numerous cuts and scrapes that decorated the yellow upper body, while the scratches were obscured by the darker, bottom half. Overwhelmed by the Fury Swipes and unable to catch the Chimchar in his Psychic grip, Drowzee could only brace his head as he gave up on defending himself.

"Do you… finally… give up?" Sonchar panted as it became clear that Drowzee could not fight back, but did not let up his own guard.

"Yes…" Drowzee answered, sounding equally as exhausted. "I know… I can't… win."

"Good," Sonchar sighed. "You're coming with us, then… Officer Magnezone… will be here shortly."

I wanted to reach out to Sonchar to tell him to stay on alert. While I believed that Drowzee knew he was outmatched, I did not trust the sincerity of his submission. It wasn't a surprise to me that the instant my partner dropped his guard, Drowzee jumped at the opportunity. In a mirror of the situation I was in, Drowzee grabbed hold of my partner in his mental link, and with everything he had, slammed him head-first onto the ground. Sonchar screamed out in pain after the initial shock of the impact, and then Drowzee planted himself on top of him, muffling his scream as the breath was knocked out of him.

" _ **No…**_ " I groaned weakly, slowly crawling my way towards my partner and his assailant.

As Drowzee had my partner pinned, he began swinging his stubby arms, pounding my partner's face into a pulp as he could not defend himself. He tried to push the Psychic type off of him, but was far outweighed by the portly outlaw. " **Hold on, Sonchar…** " I whispered as I inched closer to the two of them, praying the Psychic wouldn't hear me as I approached his exposed flank.

"You brought this on yourself," Drowzee taunted as he continued to pummel my partner. "You've actually made me exhaust my Confusion attack… I'm not used to having to get my hands dirty like this. I guess that just means you'll get to die slowly." The bastard then grasped my partner around his throat, attempting to choke the life out of him.

As I heard Sonchar's pained gasps for air, I had to fight back the urge to rush to him. I had to end this, and I was only going to get one more shot. Suppressing the tears that were beginning to well up at my partner's despair, I quietly stepped behind the Drowzee, my glare set on the bruised dome that I had already targeted twice. Perhaps the third time would be the charm.

I knew that I didn't have the strength left to deliver one single finishing blow, despite Drowzee's weakened state. Instead, I gave in to a primal instinct, and latched onto his back, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and clenching my teeth onto the back of his skull. Despite my own chokehold, the Psychic gave a shrill scream as my teeth penetrated the skin on his head. Releasing my partner, he attempted to get me off of him by slamming onto and rolling around the ground.

Embracing the pain, I kept my hold on the bastard as he struggled away. Like a serpent trapping its prey, the more he struggled, the more I tightened my grip around his throat until his grating screams were muffled like my partner's. As his struggles began to fade, I maneuvered us so I was lying over him, not releasing my grip or my bite until he was no longer moving.

Once Drowzee appeared to be passed out, I unclenched my teeth so I could look up at my partner, who was literally coughing up smoke as he regained his breath. My imagination conjured up an image of him trying to fight Drowzee off with a fire attack, but the flames getting trapped while his throat was being squeezed. The thought brought a fire to my own stomach.

Looking down at the one who had caused his suffering, I recalled how he had gotten the upper hand on my friend by acting as if he was surrendering. I was not going to take the chance of that happening again, and I slammed my wrist-bump into the back of his head as I had done before.

And again. And again.

Truth be told, I knew that he was out the instant I had let go of him. Though he was still breathing, there was an empty gaze in his eye that made it apparent that he would not be waking up anytime soon. Perhaps, thinking back to his trick, I merely used that as an excuse to unleash my anger at the pain he had caused me and, more importantly, Sonchar. Not to mention the fear he had instilled in that poor child. This scumbag deserved no forgiveness, nor did he deserve another chance to hurt another innocent Pokémon.

After continuing to pummel the unconscious Drowzee, I eventually heard an unintelligible screaming, and then felt myself being pushed off of the outlaw. Annoyed by the interruption, I shoved the intruder away, and resumed my strikes. It wasn't until I heard my name shouted in desperation that I realized it was my friend that I had pushed away. I felt myself freeze up at the sight of the tears pouring from his terrified face.

Suppressing the urge to vomit in disgust at myself, I rolled off of the unconscious Drowzee. I checked his neck, sighing in relief as I felt a pulse. I didn't need to subject my poor, innocent partner to another death at my hands, no matter how much I felt this scumbag deserved it. I walked over to the bag, and carried it over the the dungeon waypoint and tossed it through, watching it vanish in a familiar flash as it traveled to the base of the mountain. Sonchar watched wordlessly as I returned to the outlaw's unconscious form.

Crouching down, I lifted one of Drowzee's arms over my shoulder as I attempted to pick him up and carry him out of the dungeon. Unfortunately, he was a bit too heavy for me alone, so I motioned for my partner, who got the hint, and slowly… reluctantly… made his way to Drowzee's other side. Together, we were able to hoist the Psychic type over our shoulders and slowly drag him through the dungeon waypoint where we met the Azurill and Marill on the outside of the dungeon.

Once we were outside, I made sure not to trip over the treasure bag as we not so delicately set the outlaw down, me almost following suit but landing on my bottom in a sitting position. Sonchar then approached the two brothers, the older holding the younger back as they eyed the kidnapper suspiciously. As I watched, all their words came out as a garbled mess that I could not for the life of me make out. I figured my head must have been more messed up than I thought, and hopefully, my mind would be better able to process things after a good, long rest.

From what I could tell, Sonchar was able to reassure them that Drowzee was no longer a threat, as they appeared to be less tense. As Sonchar spoke with them, they would give an occasional awed glance at me, likely from my partner embellishing my "heroics." That thought hearkened me back to the fear in Sonchar's eyes as he witnessed what I almost did, and I once again had to force down tears that were threatening to betray the shame I was feeling.

Instead, I tried to focus on the respect I held for him as he showed no signs of the pain that was inflicted on him, nor the distress he felt after witnessing my retaliation. Despite what we went through, he managed to be a calm, upbeat presence for the kids, who I imagined needed it just as much as we did. And though my mind could not process what was being said, he must have left out the awful things I did, as the brothers showed no fear around me. As much as I would have liked to say that it made me feel better about everything that had happened, that would be wishful thinking on my part.

We sat for a while, and I felt myself begin to drift off as the world around me slowly started to spin. We were eventually joined by a trio emerging from the dungeon entrance, and I shook my head to rid myself of the weariness I was feeling to address them. Of the three, the two smaller ones were each a metal orb with one large eye, a magnet on the left and right sides, and three screws rotating in and out of their orbs. The larger one appeared to be a bizarre fusion of three of the smaller ones with three magnets on its body and a yellow antenna on the top of its dome. I imagined that one must have been the Officer Magnezone that Sonchar had mentioned a few times.

In hindsight, one of the brothers must have told Sonchar that they went in after us and that we should wait for them. I wondered why the thought hadn't crossed my mind, until I figured that my mind must have been as drained as my body was. I think one of them might have tried to speak to me before either being informed that I couldn't speak or simply giving up when I wouldn't even acknowledge their presence. Instead, I watched disinterestedly as the scene played out in front of me, the world spinning faster and faster. The last thing I heard was my partner calling my name as my body hit the ground and everything went black.

* * *

Author's Notes

This was a pretty difficult chapter for me to start off. I wanted to avoid any of the disturbing themes many people associate with this scene (and the Drowzee line in general) while still making him a menacing villain for the time he was shown. I like to think I gave the character some justice, and it was definitely fun writing Kamon's vicious side at the end there. If you couldn't tell, the lesson of this chapter is: Don't fuck with the monkey. Not a whole lot else I have to say about the chapter, so onto the other thing I need to mention.

I am going to put the story on a temporary hiatus. I won't go into detail, because I don't want to turn these notes into a personal blog. All I will say is that there are some personal things in my life that I need to take care of, and as fun as the story is to write, I feel it would be best to take some time away so I can give my personal matters proper attention. I'm thinking (or rather, hoping) that it shouldn't be anymore than a month that I will be inactive, but I don't want to make any promises I may not be able to keep. I do have a couple of chapters in my buffer, but unfortunately, I feel that if I was to release them, then I would have that nagging my mind if my buffer was depleted before I was able to get back into the swing of things. I hope you understand, and I appreciate everybody who has been following my story.


	15. The Mentor

Quick note: All non-bolded dialogue will be in the "human" language so I don't have to plague the chapter with fancy text.

* * *

My eyes slowly started to open as consciousness returned to me. I tried to sit myself up from my bed, but as I did, my muscles felt stiff. It wasn't that they were in pain; in fact, other than a tingly sensation, my body felt more rested than I could ever remember. Yet, it took minutes of lying there attempting to move before my limbs finally started to cooperate. With a sluggish effort, I was able to get into a sitting position, joints popping loudly as I pushed myself upright.

My vision was blurred as I tried to get a look at my surroundings. With what little I was able to see, I realized that I was not in my own room. Instead of the stone walls, I was surrounded by sheets of beige fabric. The sunlight shining through the opening indicated that I must have been inside some sort of tent. But whose was it?

My eyesight was finally beginning to sharpen, and I was able to get a good look at what else was inside the fragile structure I was sitting in the center of. Much like the room back at the guild, there wasn't a whole lot in the ways of decorations and storage space. A couple of chests were placed on opposite ends, as well as an end table that appeared to have… a small nest of hay? Perhaps a small bird Pokémon lived here? And next to that tiny bed was a small cup along with a plate of what looked to be oran berries.

It was when I looked at the food and container that I realized just how dry my mouth was. I was tempted to try to crawl my still weak body over to it and see if there was any water in the cup. Even if there wasn't, I imagined the juice from the berries would be enough to hydrate me at least a little. But then, many questions suddenly sprang to mind. What if the food and drink were tampered with? Or what if whoever set it there was waiting to consume it themselves and would not appreciate me helping myself to their dinner? Hell, I still had no idea who it was that brought me here, or where I even was!

'Okay, don't panic,' I thought to myself with a quick breath. 'What do I last remember?' I thought back to where I was before I found myself in this room. I remembered I was on a mountain, with my partner. Sonchar and I were fighting our way up to Drowzee to save the young Pokémon he abducted for some purpose we didn't know. And when we finally reached them, we fought the outlaw, and it… turned brutal. I shuddered as images of the skirmish played themselves in my head: Drowzee attempting to hold me hostage; my sight darkening as my face was planted into the earth; Drowzee pinning my friend, pummeling and strangling him until he was choking on his own fumes; and finally, me returning the favor as I tried to literally beat life out of Drowzee's unconscious form.

My eyes subconsciously shifted to face the metallic bumps on my wrist, expecting to see the bloody residue from the outlaw's wounds. To my surprise, they showed no evidence of the tense battle with the Psychic type. In fact, they appeared to be shining brightly to where I could see a glimmer of my reflection in them. Curious, I inspected the rest of my body, recalling the other scrapes and bruises I obtained on that journey and found most of them had vanished. The only marks that were left were a couple of faint scars I acquired when the Doduo scratched at my chest with its taloned feet, but even those looked to be fading away. It would appear I was well taken care of after I was carried away from the mountainside where I must have collapsed.

A sudden chirping and flapping of wings startled me, completely taking me out of my thoughts. Turning my head to the source of the sound, I saw a small, familiar-looking green orb flying from the entrance of the tent to the table with the nest. I recalled seeing the tiny bird, or at least one very similar to it, flying on top of a tent in Treasure Town the morning we met the brothers and Drowzee. I then blanched at the realization of whose stand I was occupying.

I jumped once again, this time at the sound of something sliding on the table where the bird sat. It was sitting on the edge of the cup, its emotionless gaze shifting from my own stare to the dish it was using as a perch. It appeared to be trying to signal for me to grab the drink, but still skeptical, I stayed where I was. The bird continued to watch me for a few more seconds, once again motioning to the cup, while I remained unresponsive. I hoped if I continued to refuse that it would fly away and leave me alone. As I should have expected, that was not the case. Instead, the bird fluttered down to the table and closed its eyes as if in great concentration.

For a third time, I felt my body twitch in sudden fright as I heard a voice speaking inside my head. However, there weren't any words being spoken - at least, not any words I understood. It was in a strange language that, while somehow familiar, I could not make any sense of. When the voice finally ceased, the flying type then opened its eyes and returned its gaze to mine. It must have been using telepathy to communicate with me. Could the creature not speak itself, or did it perhaps have a similar language barrier as me? Whatever the case, the bird kept its eyes locked on me as if expecting some sort of response to whatever it said. All I could return it with was an apologetic shrug, hoping it would get the hint that I was unable to understand it.

Expecting a look of dejection, I was instead witness to a sudden ferocious flapping of wings as the green bird hopped back onto the cup and slowly, shakily lifted the it off the table. Its eyes were shut tight as it struggled to fly the cup over to me. "Whoa!" I gasped when it became apparent that the weight was too much for the tiny Pokémon, and I rushed over to catch the cup before it brought the bird down with it. Once the dish was secure in my paws, the flying type fluttered off, taking its spot in its nest.

Flinging off some of the water that spilled onto my hands as I caught the cup, I was met with the same expectant stare from before. The more I hesitated, the more I noticed its panting as it sat in its tiny nest. I then realized that the little bird was guilting me into taking a drink, and to my irritation, it seemed to be working. Sighing, I raised the cup to my lips, taking a whiff before gulping it down. Perhaps I was being paranoid thinking it may have been tampered with. After all, I was quite literally at their mercy as I laid there unconscious. If they wanted me either dead or incapacitated, it wouldn't have taken much effort on their part. It was odd that that gave me a slight sense of comfort, as it at least reassured me that they weren't looking to harm me.

The small bird chirped triumphantly, and then nudged one of the berries forward slightly with its beak. Truth be told, I would have preferred another cup of water as I was still somewhat parched, but I figured the berries would at least help with the little bit of aching my inactive muscles were feeling. Deciding to oblige the bird's request, I accepted the offer and bit into the large, blue berry, satiating my hunger while allowing the healing properties to take effect.

Nodding my head in thanks, I sat back on the bed where I had awoken and contemplated what to do next. I was able to surmise where I was when the bird flew in, so I knew it would be a short walk back to the guild. Would they be expecting me to come back? Were they even aware that I was here? And where was Sonchar? He had taken a good bit of damage from the altercation with Drowzee, even if I came out of it worse for wear. I was more worried about the mental toll it may have had, after the pain I had caused, not to mention me pushing him off of me. Would he even want me to come back, or would he be afraid of me snapping again? I had to tell myself that wasn't the case, but there was still the worry that my anger may have caused a rift between us that would be difficult to repair. By this point, I could only bury my face in my palms knowing that I may have possibly destroyed my only true friendship.

" _Ah, you've awakened._ "

Startled for a fourth time in a span of minutes, but grateful for the distraction, my eyes shot up at the sound of an elderly feminine voice. Searching for the source, I looked to the entrance to see the tall, totem-like bird, Xatu. The usual blank expression I grew used to seeing in passing showed a hint of concern, if only for a moment as our eyes met. Her head then became the same mirror image of the smaller bird (other than the larger beak) as she displayed an air of calm and professionalism.

" _I hope my son hasn't been a bother to you, young Riolu,_ " the Xatu spoke telepathically.

My eyes shifted back to the juvenile avian, and then back to her. I shook my head to reassure that her child was not a bother, even if his demeanor, along with hers, was a bit off-putting. I felt as if I should apologize for referring to him as "it" in my head, but it was probably best not to mention that.

" _That is good to hear,_ " she resumed. " _My name is Milano, and the young Natu is my son, Nero._ " As she gestured to Nero, the child bowed its body politely in greeting. " _I sent him in here to check on you, but I did not expect you to be awake already. I was hoping I would be the one to greet you when you awoke, as my child cannot speak the human tongue._ "

I froze at her final words there. She knew I could speak human? How did she find that out? Did Drowzee let that be known when he had awakened? Or maybe someone in Treasure Town heard me speak when I came out of that vision?

" _I myself am fluent in the language, and I hoped to make it easier for you to communicate. So, I must apologize for not being here to greet you. How are you feeling now, Kamon?_ "

"How do you know I can speak human?" I demanded to know.

Milano appeared to be caught off guard, apparently not understanding the urgency of my question. Before she answered, she and her son locked eyes, apparently in silent communication, after which Nero flew outside of the tent. Then, with a flash of her eyes, Milano closed the entrance of the tent so that the two of us were in there alone. The isolation did nothing for my nerves, and I once again felt myself hearkening back to Drowzee after witnessing the Psychic display.

" _It is not an unheard of thing, Kamon._ _Many Pokémon who were born when human and Pokémon societies were joined are still around today, including myself._ "

That was news to me. The segregation was still a recent phenomenon, more than I would have thought if this Pokémon was from that generation.

" _And we have always been quicker at adapting to language than our human counterparts. It is not unusual for some Pokémon to speak both human and Pokémon basic out of habit. I am surprised you did not know this, but was even more so when my son told me you could not understand Pokémon basic._ "

I did not know what to say. The very scenario I was terrified of occuring seemed to be playing out before me. What was I to do? What lie could I possibly conjure up to explain why I was seemingly the only Pokémon that did not know how to speak the common language? Or _was_ I the only one? How was I to know? Sonchar was always there to jump in for me when I was put on the spot, and not just because he had to speak for me. But now, I was here alone without that excuse, because Milano knew the truth. Or at least enough of it. It was everything I could do not to shake as anxiety flooded through me.

" _Are you alright?_ " she asked. " _You seem shaken._ "

Apparently, it wasn't enough, as I felt my hands twitching nervously.

" _Please understand, I am not asking to accuse you of anything,_ " she attempted to reassure." _It was merely an observation I was making. While I won't lie and say yours is a common situation, I am not meaning to imply that your reasons for keeping it a secret are malicious. Otherwise, you would have already known all this and not have been caught off guard._ "

So, she didn't suspect me of hiding anything?

" _Of course, it still begs many questions about your situation._ _Would you be willing to share anything? I can swear to you that anything you don't wish to be divulged will be kept between the two of us._ "

Oh… She was still suspicious of something, but apparently was willing to hear me out. That still put me in the same situation I was in before of not knowing what I should tell her. Honestly, I did not want to explain anything. While she appeared to be genuine in her concern - or perhaps it was simply the curiosity typical of a Psychic type - I was not willing to share my life story, as short of a tale as that was.

Looking at the closed exit and the Xatu in front of it, however, I was reminded of how trapped I was. Though this Psychic type was using no moves to hold me down, I felt all of my muscles lock and my body freeze under her scrutinizing gaze. 'She's not going to hurt me,' I told myself to try to calm down. I wanted to get out of here, but I couldn't bring myself to get up and run. Why couldn't I move? What was wrong with me? I put every effort into escaping Drowzee's inescapable hold, even through all the pain that I was feeling. Yet here, a simple questioning gaze and a sheet of fabric acting as a barricade held more power over me than that outlaw ever could.

Deep breaths. It was everything I could do not to break down in panic.

Sensing the obvious tension in the air, Milano stepped over to the flap making up the door of the tent and opened it a bit, allowing a little more natural light to enter in. She then walked to the side and perched down on the floor, allowing me a clear line toward the exit. It probably didn't take a Psychic type to read some of what I was thinking, but if nothing else, I could at least appreciate her awareness of how she may have contributed to my anxiety.

" _Please forgive me,_ " Milano projected, eyes closed as she sat. " _I do not wish to cause you any stress or discomfort._ "

I continued to control my breathing, telling myself that there was nothing to worry about. They couldn't be keeping me prisoner because of my former humanity. This didn't seem the type of place they would keep someone because of that. At least, that was what I had to try to believe. 'The guild wouldn't let me be sent away like that. Sonchar wouldn't let them take me away. Sonchar…'

"H-how is Sonchar?" I managed to say weakly.

" _Your partner, the Chimchar?_ " Milano asked, and I nodded. " _He is fine. I believe they are keeping him at your guild now._ "

"Was he…" I started to ask, but wasn't sure how to word my question. "Was he alright? Mentally, I mean. Things got tense there, and…" And I all but struck him in my blind rage. Deep breath. "Is he alright?"

Milano contemplated my question, leaving me nervous with anticipation while I waited for her answer. " _He was shaken up, from what I heard,_ " she eventually answered. " _When you collapsed after your battle, he was panicking, and Officer Magnezone and the Magnemite deputies had to calm him down._ "

'Meaning, he panicked in front of the already traumatized kids,' I realized, guilt resurfacing.

" _While you were recovering from your physical wounds, he stayed by you as long as he could._ "

"How… how long was I unconscious for?"

" _A few days._ "

I was not surprised by her answer, with how stiff my body felt upon awakening.

" _Your friend stayed by you the first couple days while you were out. Then, your Guildmaster insisted that he get back to work, as sitting there worrying would do neither of you any good. But I think they're keeping him inside, instead of out exploring for the time being._ "

I chuckled softly. It would be like Sonchar to sit around and worry. A part of me felt guilty for making him feel that way, but… I was more relieved that he was still sticking by me despite what I had done. I knew I needed to apologize and thank him the instant I saw him again, believing full well he would tell me not to worry about it on both accounts. The thought brought a warmth I associated with the fire type.

I looked back up at the Psychic bird, noticing that her eyes were open and watching me again. My slight smile vanished, but I still felt a soothing presence radiating. I wondered if it was something she was projecting as an attempt to calm me down. The thought disturbed me, and seemed manipulative, even if her intentions were in the right place. I tried not to let it bother me, though, as I believed she was merely trying to undo the stress she unintentionally caused moments ago. Yet, I still remained skeptical, keeping the possibility of some ulterior motive in mind.

"You didn't answer my other question," I accused. "How did you know that I speak human?"

There was another pause after I asked my question before she spoke up. " _Yes, you are correct, and I apologize. I have known for a while, ever since I saw you the first time in passing._ "

My eyes widened as she explained. Whether she noticed it or not, she didn't show it as she continued.

" _It was when you attempted to project your voice into the Kecleon brothers' heads. Your attempt to link into their minds had failed, but I was able to faintly pick up on it._ "

"You mean you were listening to my thoughts?" I asked, making my objections clear.

" _No, that was not the case. At least not then._ "

"'Then?'"

" _When you attempted to reach out to the Kecleons, your voice was… louder than most. That is often the case with telepaths, especially those who have not learned how to properly use their gifts._ "

"Was it the same whenever I spoke to Sonchar nearby?" I asked.

" _No. The only time I heard you was when your projected voice failed to reach its destination. Have you ever been able to reach another's mind?_ "

"No…" I said, eyes downcast. "The only person I was ever able to communicate with was Sonchar. I tried speaking to someone from the guild, and that was when I figured out I couldn't."

" _Curious… Chimchar and its line are not known for having such capabilities. Would it be accurate to say that you two are close?_ "

"What?" I asked, caught off guard by the question. "I, uh… I guess? He has definitely been a good friend to me ever since we met." Not too sure if I could say the same about myself, though.

" _I see. As for your language… The times I've seen you in passing, though you were quiet, you seemed to be able to understand him just fine. Are you truly unable to understand Pokémon common as my son suggested?_ "

"That's… a difficult question," was my lame answer. She tilted her head in confusion, so I elaborated. "It's weird to explain, but bear with me… Put simply, everything Sonchar, or anyone, says sounds like human to me. I even thought we were speaking the same language when we first met, but he couldn't understand me when I talked. And everything that I say to him is somehow translated in his mind. I don't know how any of this happens. It just does."

" _Curious…_ " came Milano's familiar response. " _I must admit, such a situation is unheard of for me. I have my speculations, but I need time to think on it and may need more information, if you would be willing to provide it._ "

"Uh… what else did you need?" I asked, uncertain.

" _You say you only discovered this ability and learned that you don't speak the same language as most Pokémon after meeting Sonchar. Please know I don't mean any disrespect when I ask, but was he the first civilized Pokémon you've met outside of your family?_ "

"Y-yeah…" I stuttered. Once again, I found myself stuck. How was I supposed to elaborate on this? I didn't know enough about the region to improvise some story about where I came from or why I would have been isolated from society. I couldn't even remember my own family, let alone what the evolution of my species - Lucario, I believe I heard Sonchar say - looked like or what types of environments they preferred to live in. Try as I might, no story could be conjured up on the spot.

But perhaps, I didn't need to make up a story. Maybe, there was enough information I could give without letting any important details slip out.

"This may be a long story," I warned.

She told me to go ahead, so I shared my story. I told her about how I had woken up on the beach outside of town one day to Sonchar looking over me. I told her how I had no memories of who or what I was or where I had come from, and the plan of action Sonchar helped me craft to figure out my place in this world. Milano listened on patiently and sympathetically, never questioning the validity of anything I told her. However, the one thing I didn't explain was my memory, or at least feelings, of being a human. I tried to avoid any details about adjusting to my new Pokémon body as well, as she had shown to be perceptive about inconsistent or unexplainable details.

It was surprisingly refreshing being able to get a lot of this out there. I had been so quiet for so long trying to avoid any moments where I would speak out loud in front of the wrong person, that I almost forgot what it was like to actually talk to someone with my own voice. I felt guilty thinking this, because I knew that Sonchar would always be there to lend an ear whenever I needed someone to talk to, and he likely wished I could be able to speak with him like a normal Pokémon. But there was a certain relief to having one more outlet where I could be heard.

It really became apparent just how long it had been since I had last talked, as the longer I spoke, the more my voice started to feel strained. I eventually started coughing a bit. Milano apparently reached out to her son to bring me another cup of water, as moments later, Nero came flying in with a cup at least equal in size to the one I drank from earlier filled with water. Only this time, he didn't appear to be struggling like when he brought me the first cup, despite the fact that he clearly had to have flown an even greater distance. I gave an accusing glance, and he responded with a flash of his eyes and a nod of his body before flying back out of the tent.

"So, the little son of a Zubat _was_ just trying to guilt me into drinking earlier," I scoffed, and then took a drink. "Oh, sorry!" I said, spitting out a little water in the process.

Despite the implications of the insult, Milano chuckled, and I realized that was the first time I had heard a voice from the old bird. I wondered if she had the ability to speak as well, or if that was the limit of what her species was capable of in terms of vocalness. I decided not to voice that thought (for the first time, I didn't mean that figuratively), and continued my story.

I eventually got to the day where Sonchar and I tracked down Drowzee, which included the visions that revealed his plans. I avoided some of the more gruesome details about the trek up the mountain as well as the skirmish with the Psychic type. She was probably able to piece some of that together well enough to at least have an idea, anyway. What got her attention the most, though, were all of the head problems I had felt that day. Everything from the headaches to when Sonchar and the others' voices became scrambled when I was drained from all the exertion. She also made the connection of certain moves using high-pitched sounds having a particularly severe effect on me. She even asked me about my sleeping habits, which I found odd, but I described how I would spend hours lying down before finally drifting off, only to get woken up a few hours later by my least favorite guildmate.

" _It seems you have a lot of issues related to your head,_ " Milano tactfully observed.

"I've noticed," I snarked.

" _Taking into account your memory loss, the headaches you described, and your overall lack of sleep, it seems as if your mind is not getting enough rest. That is compounded by your telepathy and constant use of your mind translating what goes in and out. Not to mention, the visions you described before, which may have expedited your mind needing to shut down for a few days._ "

"Makes sense," I said after she listed out things I already knew. Perhaps it came out a bit rude, but I hoped there was some point to it.

" _I may have a suggestion on what you could do to give your mind enough rest._ "

Oh? It seemed there was, and suddenly, I felt like an ungrateful jerk.

" _There are simple meditation techniques that are used to rest your mind. It's perhaps a bit too late in the day to teach them now, but if you would be willing to return tomorrow, I can guide you through it. Would that be agreeable to you?_ "

"If you believe it could help me, I would be willing to," I agreed. While I wouldn't say I quite trusted the Xatu completely, I was certainly willing to try something that would help me avoid the constant pain I felt on that day. And a part of me wanted to have somebody that I could speak to in my own language every now and then. A certain concern did come to mind, though. "But what should I tell the guild?"

" _I am sure your Guildmaster will be understanding and concerned for your well-being. He was, after all, the one that insisted you come to me. If you would like, I could speak to him for you._ "

"That may be easier…" I supposed. "But could you perhaps leave out the memory loss and the human thing? The language, I mean. And maybe the visions too?"

" _If that is your wish, I will not divulge any of that._ "

"Thank you," I responded genuinely. "For everything, I mean. It was… nice being able to actually talk for a while."

" _You're welcome, and I understand entirely,_ " Milano reassured. " _It was nice for me as well. I haven't often been able to speak human with someone ever since I was with my old trainer many years ago._ "

"Your… trainer?" I asked, not expecting that bit of information.

" _Correct. Remember when I mentioned being of the last generation before the segregation?_ " I nodded. " _Well, maybe that's a story I can tell you another time if you are interested. For now, we should be getting you back home to your guild, as it is getting late. Are you ready to return?_ "

I wasn't sure the answer to that question. I knew I needed to get back to the guild, and I really wanted to clear the air with Sonchar. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't dreading how the guildmates would look at me after all that transpired. I knew they were concerned about me, and I felt awful for causing them such worry. Perhaps I would be lucky and some details of our mission would not be brought up in conversation. But knowing at least one person's tact… I was not too sure.

Putting it off wouldn't do me any good, though. And despite the fact that I had just taken an apparent three day nap, I was feeling rather tired and wanted to rest a bit. Standing myself up from the bed - which I only just considered was Milano's, meaning she likely slept on the ground for a day or two while I was unconscious - I nodded my agreement, and we made our way out of the tent.

As we crossed the bridge on the west side of town, we were accompanied by Nero, who decided to invite himself to perch on top of my head. Glancing up indignantly, I had to stop myself from asking "can I help you?" because I was already getting stares from some of the passersby once I left Milano's stand. I was nervous at first, at least until some of them asked me how I was feeling, and others congratulated me on bringing down Drowzee and saving little Azzy. Apparently, news traveled fast in Treasure Town, and I was grateful that the more gruesome details didn't seem to get mentioned.

We eventually made our way to the grate that marked the sentry station. I stopped in front of it for a moment, and took a deep breath. Sensing my hesitation, Nero fluttered off my head, allowing me to step onto the grate myself.

" _Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!_ "

Wait, was that…

" _WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?_ "

" _Th- the footprint is Kamon's! The footprint is Kamon's!_ "

" _Sonchar?_ " I projected my voice down below. " _What are you doing down there?_ "


	16. Reconciliation

Chapter 16: Reconciliation

Not a moment after my question was asked, I heard a pitter patter of footsteps down the tunnel below, followed a minute later by the gate opening. Jumping off the grate, I stepped toward the entrance, only to stop in my tracks as Sonchar came running out toward me at a speed previously unseen from the Fire type. Eyes cringing, I braced myself for the impact, praying I wouldn't fall through the grate and plummet into the dark abyss.

To my utter relief, no such collision came, and I was spared the descent my melodramatic mind jumped to.

Opening my eyes, I was face to face with my partner, who stood a little more than an arm's length away. I looked him over from the distance, grateful when I determined that he was free of welts and wounds from the day of our scuffle with Drowzee. The day that was constantly replaying in my head ever since I had awakened earlier this afternoon. While Sonchar's nervous expression was a far cry from the terror he had shown at my… display, it still left me unwilling, or unable, to be the first one to speak.

Luckily, he was the less cowardly of the two of us.

"Uh… hey, Kamon…"

" _Hey Sonchar,_ " I responded, equally confident.

"H-how are you feeling?"

" _I'm… better. I woke up a few hours ago… But it still feels like it's been a long day._ "

"I see… Oh, you came back with Xatu?" Sonchar asked after peeking around me and noticing the totem bird standing patiently a small distance behind me. When I looked, I noticed Nero was no longer around, and I guessed that he must have flown back to their home.

" _Yeah, her name's Milano,_ " I answered. " _I was talking with her for a while, and she helped me figure out a lot of things. She's here to talk with the Guildmaster and Rowkin for me, because… well, it'd be easier._ "

" _Shall we go inside, Kamon?_ " came the aforementioned Xatu's voice.

" **Oh, uh, yes,** " I answered, not expecting the baffled look on my partner's face as I spoke.

"What are you doing!?" Sonchar whispered loudly at me. It then hit me that he was not expecting me to speak openly to another Pokémon.

" **It's oka-** " I started to say, but coughed as I had to readjust my method of speaking. " _Sorry. It's okay. She knows I can speak human._ "

"You told her that?" Sonchar asked, perplexed.

" _Only that I can speak it_ ," I reassured. " _I'll tell you more about it inside, okay?_ "

Glancing back between the flying type and me, Sonchar nodded uncertainly, and then motioned for us to follow. "Uh… you're free to enter the guild," he called over to her.

" _And you're going to tell me about how they got you to do Dominic's job,_ " I added, trying to lighten the mood as we entered.

To say that my arrival into the guild would be less awkward than my reunion with my partner would have been wishful thinking. The instant I stepped through the entrance hall, I was swarmed by my guildmates, all happy or relieved to see me alive and well.

"Oh my gosh, Kamon! I'm so glad you're back!"

"Hi Kamon! How are you feeling?"

"Hey hey! I heard you really socked it to Drowzee!"

While their warm reception was much appreciated, I was left on my own. The only guildmate _not_ overly enthusiastic was Louis, who had pulled Sonchar away to scold him for abandoning his station. Unsure what to say to the small crowd of Pokemon, I stood there frozen as they threw question after question at me from the Drowzee event to asking about happened when I awoke.

"Uh… fellas?" Chet mercifully spoke up. "I'm thinkin' we should give the 'mon some space? Y'all remember he ain't the talker of the two 'a them?" Thankfully, they all got the hint and backed off, muttering embarrassed apologies. I gave a look of undying gratitude to the Bidoof, who returned it with a warm smile and an understanding nod.

"Welcome back, Kamon."

I heard a familiar squawking, and turned to see Rowkin hopping toward me, alongside the Guildmaster. "I trust you are feeling well if Milano is allowing you to return?"

I nodded my head in answer, shoving the implications of "allowing" to the back of mind.

"I'm so happy to hear that, friend!" Wigglytuff all but shouted in his usual gleefulness. "We were so worried about you, we didn't know what to do!"

"Indeed," Rowkin agreed. "And while I am glad to see you are better, I would be remiss if I didn't express just how foolish you two were. Running off after such a dangerous outlaw without properly preparing or consulting the guild, or at least letting us know what you were getting into? You are fortunate that Officer Magnezone was there to carry you away from that wreckage!"

I should have known a lecture from the Lieutenant was coming. Having had every mistake put on blast by the Chatot in our first few days, it would have been foolish not to expect it. With everything else on my mind regarding Sonchar and my own condition, though, that concern was far from my mind. How I wish I had that foresight looking back. Now, after Chet had so kindly urged the others to back off, all of them were giving me their own pitying stares as I was scolded. Not knowing what else to do, I glanced over to my partner, who could only offer his own look of sympathy.

It then hit me that he must have been in the same exact position I currently was the moment he arrived back at the guild. With me unconscious and receiving medical attention, he had to return on his own and explain everything that had happened to me, all the while wondering if I would be okay. Somehow, I doubted the Lieutenant was any more understanding of my partner than he was towards me at this moment.

Now that I thought about it, Sonchar wasn't alone when I previously glanced at him. Then, where did-

"Oh, come on, Rowkin!" I heard the Loudred yell behind me before he smacked me on the back gently—or what I imagined was gentle for the large loud-mouth as I had to catch myself from stumbling forward. "Give the guy some slack! You heard what he did to that piece of garbage. I'm impressed he had it in him!"

Wait, was Louis defending us? And all it took was me nearly dying after beating the sense out of a remorseless convict? Sonchar appeared equally surprised by the Loudred's defense—meaning he likely didn't get the same support I was getting—but none of the other guildmates batted an eye. Perhaps this was what Rowkin meant when he said the guildmates always had each other's backs. Somehow, I doubted he was as impressed by the show of solidarity.

"You know that is _not_ the point! The fact is, their actions nearly got him killed!"

"And if he didn't, then the kid woulda probably gotten killed!" Louis barked back, while I was caught in the middle, figuratively and literally, of their shouting match. "So, give them a break! You already chewed out Sonchar—"

So, I was correct in that assumption.

"—and it's not like Kamon here can talk back to you. Sonchar only didn't because he's too much of a wimp!"

" _Don't make me lose whatever respect I was gaining for you,_ " I projected. While I did appreciate the first bit of comraderie Louis had shown, insulting my partner unprovoked was a surefire way to make me discard that. Picking up on this undirected projection may have been what prompted Milano to finally announce herself.

" _If you don't mind me interrupting here,_ " the Xatu interjected.

Everybody looked to Milano as she spoke, and I learned then that she was able to project her voice to everyone around her. Many questions immediately sprang to mind at that moment: Was it this easy for all telepaths to project their voices to that many people at once? Could anyone around hear her voice, or was she specifically tapping into each person's mind? And would I ever be able to do the same, or would I forever be limited to my partner?

" _I would like to share with you the details of what Kamon and I discussed,_ " Milano continued, breaking me from my questions. " _He has given me permission to share the details in private to the Guildmaster and Lieutenant, but didn't wish to be present for it._ "

"Absolutely, friend!" Wigglytuff answered. "Kamon, feel free to take the rest of the night to recuperate."

" _You remember what not to tell them?_ " I projected to Milano, curious if she would be able to hear.

" _Of course, Kamon,_ " Milano answered. Nobody seemed to notice her speak then, meaning it was likely it was only directed at me. That answered at least one of the questions I had regarding her telepathy.

I nodded, and then immediately stepped away. Too much attention in such a short amount of time was far too stressful for me, and I was feeling very cramped with everybody's pitying stares. Sonchar seemed to notice as he tugged my arm to get my attention.

"Did you want to go get some air?" he whispered, to which I nodded eagerly. "Guildmaster, we're going to go on a walk, if that's alright? Dominic said he'd take over for me."

"Of course! But remember, dinner will be ready in about an hour, so be seeing you soon, friends!"

"Yes sir, thank you sir," Sonchar responded before pulling me to the stairs and out of the guild. "And thanks, Dominic."

"You're welcome!"

I should have also nodded my thanks, but I couldn't get out of there quick enough. The moment I felt the air from outside, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in.

"Are you alright?" Sonchar asked as I was getting my bearings.

" _I think so,_ " I said, and then started slowly walking towards the crossroads, Sonchar following. " _It was just… too much attention. Especially after… well, you know._ "

"Yeah… I know what you mean. It was, uh, kind of the same thing when I came back."

" _I guessed as much. I'm sorry I wasn't able to pull you out of there like you did for me just now._ "

"Don't worry about that," Sonchar reassured. "Besides, I probably got the better end of the deal out of everything that happened. Oh, and about that…"

As we walked through the crossroads, I noticed Sonchar hesitate. Something was on his mind, and it was pretty clear that it had to do with our encounter with Drowzee. Perhaps he was too afraid to say what it was after everything I had done. I couldn't say I blamed him for that. I still had no idea of what came over me in that moment. All I knew was the instant I saw him in danger, all sense of reasoning left me. That bastard had no right to put his hands on my friend or the little Azurill, and I just wanted to put him down so he wouldn't harm anybody again. Even now, the sight of him pinning Sonchar started to kindle the flame that was boiling in me, and I had to take a moment to push back that anger as it was the very reason Sonchar was afraid of me.

And here I was only validating that fear.

I took another breath as we took the road leaving town on the way to the beach where I had met Sonchar. A fitting place for us to head, really. If my actions had caused my only real friend to lose all trust and respect for me, then I may as well-

"I'm sorry, Kamon..."

" **What?** " I blurted out. " _What do you mean? What do you have to apologize for?_ "

"Because I…" Sonchar hesitated. "B-because you couldn't rely on me when you needed me. Because I was so much of a coward that you were held down by Drowzee for so long. And because I… I believed him when he said he gave up, and then he…"

No, this was wrong. This was all wrong. Sonchar should _not_ be the one apologizing here! He did nothing wrong! Was this… Was this really what he was thinking for the last few days while I was out cold?

"B-because he was hurting me, you…" Sonchar tried to finish his thought. "Y-you had to-"

" **No,** " I cut Sonchar off, and wrapped my arms around him, holding firmly. I wasn't going to let him think that I was angry with him for everything that had occurred that day. I was not going to let him feel that any of it was his fault when I was the one that lost it. A few seconds into the embrace, Sonchar returned the hug weakly, but then held firm as well. Once his sniffs finally started to subside, I slowly began to ease my hold, but waited for him to drop his arms before releasing him entirely.

" _Please don't,_ " I somehow managed to whisper my mental voice. " _You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have lashed out like I did, and I shouldn't have…_ _I shouldn't have thrown you off of me like I did when you tried to pull me away from Drowzee. I'm the one that needs to apologize, Sonchar. Not you. I'm so sorry for scaring you, and for hurting you like that. Even if that bastard deserved every bit, I should not have put you through all that. I'm… I'm just sorry. I need you to know that._ "

It was silent for the next couple minutes as Sonchar took in everything that I said. I was thankful that he decided to speak up at a place where no other Pokémon would be traveling at this time. Perhaps that was his intention, since he was probably no better at handling these sorts of situations than I was. At the very least, he did appear to be very relieved to hear that I wasn't angry with him, and it ate at me that he had any reason to believe that I would be. He eventually took a seat against the wall of the cliff on which the town rested. After a glance from him, I sat down as well, and we enjoyed a moment of companionable silence before either of us spoke up again.

"I, uh, I'm glad that you're not angry," Sonchar said weakly. "And that was a little scary, I'll admit…"

" _Yeah… I know,_ " was all I could offer in response. " _I really don't know what came over me. But when I saw him choking and swinging at you while you couldn't fight back, and then everything poor Azzy went through…_ "

"And the pain he caused you?" Sonchar added.

" _That too,_ " I shrugged. That was probably more survival instincts springing me into action there, but it certainly didn't play as big of a role in motivating me as seeing my friend in distress. " _I just lost it. I just didn't want him to be able to do anything like that again. But I know that I went way overboard with it. Is Drowzee… alright?_ " I swallowed bitterly at the question.

"Oh, um, he's alright. Well, sort of."

"' _Sort of?'_ "

"Yeah, he woke up the day after we fought him," Sonchar explained. "But he was still pretty out of it. I don't think he remembers most of what happened that day, to be honest. He's, uh… pretty messed up."

" _Oh,_ " I said, a bit disappointed. The fact that he wouldn't remember everything that happened didn't sit right with me, but I supposed that was my own doing. At least I knew he wouldn't be harming any other innocent Pokémon where he was. Not to mention, I wouldn't have to worry about him mentioning my speech. But I wondered… " _Do the others know what I did?_ "

"To Drowzee?" Sonchar asked, and I nodded. "Not everything. They know that the fight got intense, and that it took everything we had to stop him, because he wouldn't go down."

" _What would they think if they knew?_ "

"They… probably wouldn't blame you?" Sonchar answered, and I had to suppress a dry chuckle. "None of them really felt bad for him after they heard the story, but it's probably better that they don't know that part."

" _I see,_ " was my response. A part of me was relieved that the others didn't learn how far things escalated, but I didn't want to add to the secrets Sonchar was already burdened with keeping. For now, it was probably best to not bring it up, because I knew he would tell me not to worry about it, that it would be fine. And I was a bit too tired to lose another argument to my friend that I didn't deserve.

"Did you know that his name's Eugene?"

" **What?** " I asked, and then repeated telepathically. I must have gotten too used to talking to be slipping this much.

"Drowzee," Sonchar answered. "His real name is Eugene, and that's why he was going by his species name instead."

" _You mean he wasn't going by it because he was trying to hide his identity?_ "

"I guess not," Sonchar shrugged. "I mean, he was kind of walking through town talking to people. I don't think he was very good at laying low."

" _And this is the same Psychic that managed to kick our asses?_ " I scoffed. Sonchar let out a laugh at my annoyance, and I couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"I was surprised he didn't get noticed sooner." The laughing died down, and we sat quiet for another short while before Sonchar started the conversation again. "So, how did everything with Milano go? You said you would tell me more."

" _I did say that, didn't I?_ " Sonchar nodded at my response. " _Okay, but first, you've gotta tell me how they saddled you with Dominic's job,_ " I said with a smirk.

"Oh that, haha. They, uh, needed someone to fill in for sentry duty, since Dom had to cover for his dad again. I'm not really sure why, but I think Douglas has been slacking off a bit, because Dom was pretty mad about it. But he thanked me for helping him, and Louis, uh… wasn't quite as happy."

" _You don't say,_ " I said dryly.

"Yeah, he can be pretty hard to work with. He made me go through the tunnel with my flame suppressed, because I guess the guests are not supposed to see me. I stubbed my toe twice on the way to the post. It would ignite back up again, because I get tired when I have to suppress it, and he didn't like that." Sonchar rubbed his foot as he said that, and I once again found myself losing the small amount of appreciation I held for the Loudred. "And he was also getting pretty upset that I wasn't guessing right for a lot of the visitors. How am I supposed to know the difference between a Pidgey and a Spearow's footprints from 10 meters away?!"

'So, that's how long that fall would have been…' I shuddered at the thought from when Sonchar almost sent us both crashing down there. Actually, now that I thought about that… " _But you were able to guess mine right away,_ " I pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but…" Sonchar began rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, we sleep in the same room. I'm gonna be facing your feet every now and then, you know?"

" _I guess,_ " I shrugged. " _Do you think they'll make you do it again?_ "

"Ugh, I hope not. At least not if Louis is the one I'm working with. That wasn't fun at all. But anyway, it's your turn now."

" _Okay, okay,_ " I chuckled at Sonchar's impatience.

I told him about everything that happened since I came to. How I woke up in a strange place, the two bird Pokémon I met, what I told Milano about my situation, what she suggested that I do going forward, and even the little Natu's pranks; nothing went unmentioned to my friend. I also included the details I chose to omit during my conversation with the Xatu, to alleviate the concern that I may have disclosed too much to her. Sonchar did seem a bit quiet as I discussed what I spoke with Milano about, and how she was able to understand me when I spoke with my real voice. It seemed I was correct in guessing that he wished he would be able to offer the same ear. As much as I wanted to reassure him that what he was doing was already more than I could ask for, I figured it would be best to let him voice that before I said anything. He probably would have felt guilty for that jealousy, and I would be lying if I said the thought of it wasn't touching, at least a bit.

We sat for another long while after I told the events of my day, both of us tired physically and mentally after the long day we had. We must have really lost track of time, because we were both startled by Dominic popping out of the ground next to us.

"Oh, there you guys are," the Diglett said. "Rowkin sent me to come and find you before we close the guild."

"Uh oh, we were supposed to come back for dinner, weren't we?" Sonchar realized.

"Yeah, don't worry, he's not mad, and there's some food left. But we've gotta get you guys back in so we can close up for the night. Are you ready to head back?"

I nodded as Sonchar looked to me, and he answered, "Yeah, we are. We'll see you back there, okay?"

"Okay!" Dominic cheerfully responded before submerging himself back into the earth. I told myself I wasn't going to be bothered by how he did that while showing no visual evidence of his disruption to the earth, and I wasn't going to let myself be now. Damn, what was with this ridiculous fascination?!

We made our way back to the guild, not wanting to keep them waiting any longer than we already had. Thankfully, Rowkin didn't give us another lecture on staying out late or inconveniencing our fellow guildmates, because I really didn't have the mental energy to listen anymore. As we ate, the Lieutenant went over what Milano had shared with them, and to my relief, none of the sensitive details I had asked her to omit were included. I only hoped that she kept her word and that Rowkin wasn't simply choosing not to mention it himself.

"Also," Rowkin said, "we will be giving the two of you the next few days off of guild work."

"You mean we won't get to do any jobs?" Sonchar asked disappointedly. He must have really been wanting to get back onto the field after being stuck at the guild for the last few days. Another item to add to the guilt list.

"I'm sorry," Rowkin said, seemingly genuine. "But Milano insisted that Kamon see her the next couple of days so he can work on his meditation. In the meantime, Sonchar, the Guildmaster and I want you to undergo some training of your own."

"What kind of training?" Sonchar asked.

"Just a couple combat courses," Wigglytuff jumped in. "Marowak's Dojo is a great place for inexperienced teams to get some practice in!"

"... inexperienced?" Sonchar repeated, offended by the descriptor.

"What? Did I say 'inexperienced?'" Wigglytuff asked, hands pressed to his mouth as if in shock. "I didn't mean to say that, friend! I just mean… your teamwork can use a boost!"

"What do you mean?" Sonchar pressed. "We were able to beat Drowzee working together."

"Indeed you did," Rowkin took over. "However, from what you told me about the way events unfolded, it occurred to me that you two have no synergy when on the field."

"Synergy?" Sonchar parroted.

"Correct. You each just took turns jumping in when the other needed help, but made no real use of your numbers advantage."

Well, we didn't really have the opportunity during the fight, all things considered. But maybe there would be something to learn the next time we have to fight a powerful enemy.

"Think about this: Kamon here is a pretty straight-forward close combat fighter. He won't be doing much long ranged fighting—"

'I doubt that Taillow felt that way when it flew face first into the stone I threw.' I chose not to voice that particular thought, but still hid a smirk.

"—but up close, his attacks leave quite a punch."

"You're telling me!" the Guildmaster agreed cheerfully. "I remember those nasty hits I took on your second day here! They sure didn't tickle!"

Once again, I found myself unsure if I was being patronized or genuinely complimented, as the most damage I caused from my attacks on him was inflicted on myself. But then I wondered if Wigglytuff even had the ability to inject sarcasm into his speech, and figured the condescension was in my head.

"However, you Sonchar," Rowkin continued, "are more versatile in your abilities. Your physical moves are not quite as impactful as Kamon's, but you have a range advantage with your fire attacks. Now, think about how you could apply this knowledge as a unit. Perhaps, Sonchar could provide Kamon cover fire—if you'll pardon the pun—against enemies with ranged attacks, while he closes in on them."

There was definitely some merit to his words. If we had coordinated how we were going to go about taking on Drow- no, Eugene, then perhaps I wouldn't have found myself caught in his grasp on more than one occasion. Hell, maybe that whole entire situation could have gone a lot better from start to finish if I wasn't so adamant about charging in blindly.

"And that's just one example. There are many ways you can use creativity when planning your next challenging mission."

"And they'll teach me some of these techniques when I go in there?" Sonchar asked.

"Well, somewhat. What they'll hopefully teach you is how to figure out how to plan and improvise for yourselves so you will be able to work as a cohesive unit together. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Sonchar answered, and I nodded in agreement.

"Excellent. Unfortunately, since Kamon has his own appointments, you'll have to share with him what you learn after you finish your training. I realize that sending you alone may seem a bit counter-productive to your ultimate goal, but you will have to make due to the best of your ability. Therefore, I expect that you'll take great mental notes as you listen so you can get your partner up to speed."

"Yes sir."

"With that, I believe the Guildmaster and I can now let you finish your meals and get some rest?" Rowkin said, looking to Wigglytuff to confirm.

"Yep! You two have fun tomorrow!" the Guildmaster said perkily.

"Team Blazing Aura, you are…" Rowkin started to say, but paused mid-sentence. "Well, actually, I guess we'll be excusing ourselves this time. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sirs," Sonchar said, respectfully as ever.

With the Guildmaster and Lieutenant retiring for the night, Sonchar and I were left to eat in peace. We were both pretty exhausted from the day and had already said everything we needed to, so the moment we finished our food, we headed towards our bedroom to call it a night. As we passed by our guildmates' dormitories, I saw that each of them was already lying down, at which point I realized we really must have been out late. Once we reached our rooms, Sonchar was quick to curl up on his bed, and I followed suit as I took my spot on my own.

"I'm glad you're back here with me, Kamon," Sonchar said lethargically. "I hope you can get some rest tonight."

" _Thank you,_ " I said, relieved and grateful that he still wanted me around. " _And I'll try. Maybe tomorrow I will get this all figured out._ "

"I hope so," Sonchar yawned. "Goodnight, Kamon."

" _Goodnight, Sonchar._ "

* * *

Author's Notes:  
So, at this point, I've depleted my buffer and will be releasing chapters as I finish them. Hopefully, I'll be able to maintain somewhat of a posting schedule. Also, I plan to make some edits to previous chapters so they are all in a similar format, as well as adding some little bits here and there. None of them will really change any of the development, but they are some things that were brought to my attention by some of my friends.


	17. Ruminations

Chapter 17: Ruminations  


(The next morning…)

"Kamon…"

" **Ugh…** " I groaned as I felt myself being nudged in my sleep.

"It's time to get up," I heard my partner say. Wait, Sonchar was waking me?

" _Did I sleep through Larry's shouting?_ " I projected through a yawn as I sat up in my bed.

"Nah, he hasn't woken me up for a few days. I think my body is used to getting up at this time by now, though."

" **That's good** _,_ " I muttered mostly to myself. I wouldn't mind being awoken to my partner's more pleasant voice than the absurd shouting from the gatekeeper. And it looked like there was just enough time for me to stretch myself before we joined the others for the usual morning huddle.

The ritual went about the same as always, with Rowkin assigning everyone their tasks while volunteering some unfortunate soul to lead the morning cheer (today, I had the privilege of hearing each of Douglas's heads lead a different verse). We were all preparing to leave and start our days, until Rowkin surprised us with an unexpected announcement.

"Now, before we begin—" Rowkin began grimly, "and I really should have gotten this out of the way _before_ the morning cheer—there is some news I must share with you all. We've gotten reports that a Time Gear has been stolen."

"WHAT?!" came the collective gasps of nearly every guild member present, my partner included.

"You heard me correct," Rowkin confirmed in a deadly serious tone. "Evidently, there was one hidden away deep within Treeshroud Forest. The Gear that had been placed there was taken, and the flow of time has all but frozen in that region."

" _Frozen?_ " I repeated. " _What is he talking about? What's a Time Gear?_ "

Yet, while I asked, I felt as if I should know what Rowkin was referring to. Something about the term rang a bell deep within my mind, but no image was able to manifest. It was bothering me, enough that I had managed to tune out Sonchar's answer to my question, as well as all our other guildmates peppering Rowkin with question after question of what was going on.

"Please, slow your questions!" Rowkin squawked, returning my attention from my thoughts. "The information I shared is all we have currently been given. Local authorities are already on the case as they try to find out who is responsible for this. All they are asking of us is to keep a vigilant eye, and if we stumble across any information, then we are to report it to Officer Magnezone. That is all we can do for now."

Silence befell the guildmates as each of them took in the Lieutenant's instructions. Whatever this Time Gear was, it appeared that tampering with it left terrible consequences for everyone within its radius. Yet, despite the dread in everyone's expressions, I felt a slight surge of adrenaline at the news that I could not understand the reasoning for. I had to suppress myself from shifting in my place, deciding it best not to put my unexplained excitement on display in this currently bleak atmosphere.

"Worry not, friends," the Guildmaster stepped in. "I know this wasn't the best news to start off our day-"

Judging by the room, that was probably going to be the understatement of the day.

"-but remember, we have a community of Pokemon depending on us. So, whattaya say we try again, and tackle this day with a smile! Everybody ready?"

Wigglytuff's attempt at reigniting his pupils' confidence was met with a few cheers that were half-hearted at best. " _Even I could have done better than that,_ " I couldn't help but snark, earning a quiet chuckle from my partner.

"Come on, fellas. Y'all can do better than that!" Chet piped up enthusiastically. The other guildmates appeared unimpressed by him assuming the role of cheerleader. The Bidoof's posture shifted to a slouch as his sudden confidence faded. Holding his head down, he then muttered, "Just warnin', y'all know how Guildmaster gets when ya ignore his pep talks."

"Yeah, Chet's right!" Louis shouted, suddenly much more receptive to the Bidoof's rallying cry. "Stop moping around and show some damn spirit!"

"Hey hey!" Larry responded, clearly offended at the Loudred's arrogance. "Who are you calling 'mopey'! I can show more spirit in one claw than your entire big mouth can spew!"

"What?! You wanna prove it, sushi?"

"Guildmates, guildmates!" Rowkin squawked his interjection in an attempt to corral the bickering idiots. Whatever bizarre thing they were arguing about, or if they were competing for the sake of it, everybody seemed to lose interest, and half the guildmates dismissed themselves. The only two still present, aside from Sonchar and me, were Chet and Daisy.

"Good luck with your trainin', fellas," the former said to us. "I'm gonna be goin' out on a mission!"

"Oh wow! So, they're finally letting you go back out there?" Sonchar cheered excitedly for him.

"Well… not on my own," Chet explained. "Rowkin's insistin' on havin' me tag along with Daisy and follow her lead. Thinks it'd be the best way for me ta get some experience without messin' anything up like I usually do."

"Oh my gosh, Chet," Daisy chimed in with her signature phrase, "there's no need to be such a worry wart. I know you'll do fantastic!"

"You're gonna have to tell us how it went after you guys get back," Sonchar said.

"We should get going, since our client is waiting for us. Let's move, Chet. Bye, Sonchar and Kamon!"

"See y'all later!"

"Bye Daisy, bye Chet. Good luck!" Sonchar returned the farewell, while I sent them off with a wave of my own.

Immediately after they left, Sonchar and I each grabbed our respective scarves, took our leave from the guild, and walked together towards our separate destinations. I would like to say that there was a companionable silence, but as we traveled the road we commuted through every day, there was an air of anxiety shared between my partner and me. We both had our own hurdles that we would be attempting to overcome today. However, for the first time since I awoke without my memories, we would each be tackling them alone, or at least separate from each other. Not to mention, Sonchar was given the burden of catching me up to speed on everything he would learn by the end of his special training. With everything on my mind, I didn't even have time to ponder on the announcement the Lieutenant had delivered and the recollections attempting to emerge before I felt my partner gently pulling on my arm.

" **Whuh-** " I started to say before halting my movement.

"We're at my stop," Sonchar answered.

Indeed, we were standing outside Marowak's Dojo, where my partner would spend the majority of his day. The structure was adorned with stones chiseled in the shape of femur bones along the side walls, and mounted just over the entrance was a sculpture of a large, empty skull, presumably the image of the instructor. I found myself lost in the eyeless gaze until Sonchar once again had to get my attention with a nudge.

"Are you alright, Kamon?" my concerned partner asked. "You've been daydreaming a lot."

" _Yeah,_ " I answered, likely not very convincingly. " _Just a lot on my mind today._ "

"I know what you mean. I'm pretty nervous, especially since… uh, never mind."

Confused at his hesitance, I pressed him. " _What is it?_ "

"It's just, I know you've got a lot on your mind, so I didn't want you worrying about me, but… I guess I'm just nervous since I won't have you by my side, you know? Sorry, I know it's probably stupid…"

" _No, it's not,_ " I attempted to reassure. " _I've been having the same doubts myself, since you've always been there to help me whenever I needed it. And hell, you're the one that's going to be working out while I'll be sitting on my butt all day. So really, what's my excuse?_ " I gave a smirk, hoping that the jab at myself would lighten the mood. It seemed to do the trick, as I was able to get a chuckle out of my partner.

"Well, can't say I've ever meditated myself, but I'm sure it's gonna be a bunch of sitting and 'oooooohm'ing."

" **What?** " I responded with a snort. " _What was that supposed to be?_ "

"You know, the noises 'mons make when they meditate."

Did he just say "'mons?" 'He must have been spending a lot of time with Chet during my absence,' I thought with another chuckle. " _Well, I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I'm done._ "

"And I'll do the same, which I kind of have to anyway," Sonchar responded. "But you should probably get moving so you're not keeping Milano waiting. I'll see you later?"

" _Yeah, I'll see you later. Good luck with the training,_ " I said, leaving him off with a smile.

"You too," Sonchar responded with a grin of his own before heading into the dojo.

With my partner out of sight, my smile faded. With a sigh, I resumed course to Milano's stall. Fortunately, the rest of the walk was short, as all I had to do was cross the bridge over the stream that bisected the town before I would arrive, so I wouldn't be left with my wandering thoughts for too long.

I was expecting to be greeted by Milano, who would usually be standing outside her tent staring vacantly at the passersby. But when I arrived, there was nobody there to greet me. Looking at the flaps that made up the door, I could see that they were left slightly ajar, allowing me a view inside if I stepped close. I decided, however, that would feel rather intrusive, so I elected not to peek in. That left me to awkwardly stand around, not sure of what I should be doing. Perhaps she wasn't home, or maybe she was meeting with another Pokémon? Was this not the time I was supposed to be meeting with her? No, I was sure it was, because Rowkin wouldn't have sent me on my way here otherwise.

" **Ugh, what should I do?** " I muttered to myself, immediately looking around me the moment I realized I opened my mouth. Fortunately, no Pokémon seemed to notice my quiet outburst, but that didn't completely erase the anxiety from the frustrated slip. The sooner I got in there, the less nervous I would feel, so I hoped she would show herself soon.

With calling into her tent out of the question, I thought back to the previous day when I learned about how my telepathy worked. I knew that I could transmit my thoughts to her if I tried, and even if I didn't link to her, she could still intercept any projections that did not reach another's mind. Thinking it was my best option, I decided to give it a try.

" _Milano? I'm outside your stand,_ " I projected. I only hoped that there wasn't another telepath in the area that would pick up on my transmission instead.

I stood around for another minute waiting, wondering if I should just return to the guild and come back later. Before I took a step, though, Nero came flying out of the stall and once again perched himself right atop my head and made himself at home.

" _Do I look like a nest to you?_ " I asked with an indignant huff.

" _Apologies, Kamon_. _Mother ready for you._ "

" _Wait,_ " I immediately responded, not expecting to understand his mental voice. " _I thought you didn't speak human?_ "

" _Only little,_ " Nero clarified. " _Mother teach when have time._ "

That explained the bizarre speech pattern. I wondered just how long his mother had been teaching him. It probably wasn't too long, since Milano did say that Pokémon pick up on language rather quickly, but I doubted she started teaching him immediately after our conversation yesterday.

" _Mother ready for you,_ " Nero repeated, preventing me from succumbing to another daydreaming session before flying to the other side of town.

Taking a breath, I stepped through the makeshift door into the bird family's home. Sitting inside at the end opposite of the entrance was the Xatu, arms resting properly over the robe-like feathers layered around her legs. Her eyes appeared to be closed, and I was unsure if she was resting or if she herself was in a meditative trance.

Once I had taken a few steps inside, her eyes opened and she greeted me. " _Good morning, Kamon._ "

Clearing my throat, I returned the pleasantry with my voice, " **Good morning.** " My response came out as little more than a mumble, since I knew the town would start becoming active soon and I didn't want any passersby to eavesdrop on our conversation.

Whether Milano noticed my tension or not, she did not mention it. She merely made a gesture with one wing pointing to the bed where I had awoken the previous day. " _Please have a seat._ "

I obliged, still feeling a bit strange about occupying the one bed while she sat herself on the floor in her own home. Then again, thinking more about it, I wondered if this even was where she slept. Perhaps this stall was merely a place where she did business, and the purpose of the bed to was to make her clients comfortable as she did… whatever it was that she did with them. It would explain why there was very little in the way of personal belongings, as well as the fact that the tent itself couldn't be the most secure place to live.

" _How are you feeling this morning?_ "

" **Well enough, I guess,** " I answered indifferently. Apparently, being able to only speak to one other person did not yield the greatest skill in small talk. Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind taking the initiative.

" _How is Sonchar? I hope you and he were able to resolve things while you were away from your guild?_ "

" **Yeah, we were able to clear the air. He thought I was upset with him for how our fight with Drowzee went. Thought it was his fault that I…** " I paused for a moment, not sure how much I wanted to share with her about our conversation. " **That I was mad about everything that happened. But we talked, and he knows that wasn't the case.** "

" _That is good to hear,_ " she replied. " _I was certain that his concern for you would supercede any misgivings you may have had. Yet, it must have been relieving to have that confirmed for yourself._ "

" **Heh, you could say that.** "

" _Now, that is perhaps enough lingering on the past few days._ "

I nodded my head in agreeance. While it was certainly reassuring to know that Sonchar's loyalty was apparent to anyone that knew us, I wouldn't mind moving things along.

" _As I mentioned yesterday,_ " Milano resumed, " _there are many meditation techniques I am familiar with. There are a few that I think may be beneficial for you, but those will come later if you are interested. Today, we will be focusing on the issues that have led to your mental fatigue._ "

I nodded again to let her know that I was following along.

" _For this, you will be sitting in place for a good amount of time, so please take a moment to make yourself comfortable._ "

" **Does it matter how I'm sitting?** "

" _Not necessarily. You may sit or lay, so long as you are in a position where you won't feel the need to adjust yourself._ "

" **Understood,** " I said, after which I adjusted myself to sitting cross-legged with my hands resting over my lap. " **Ready.** "

" _Now then, close your eyes._ " I did as directed. " _Good,_ " she continued in a soothing voice. " _Take a deep breath, and relax yourself. Clear your mind. Let all worries fade as your thoughts are cast aside._ "

Her instructions ended as quickly as they began. Following them, I sat in place, making certain to keep my movements minimal. It seemed easy enough. Yet, as I held still, I felt an itch on my muzzle. I started to lift my hand to scratch it, but stopped myself as I recalled her directions and placed my hand back down. I did my best to ignore the itch on my face, only to feel it move to one of my knees. With my hand already close to it, I decided it would be better to just take care of it, and scratched my knee, bringing me instant relief. Which was short-lived, as the itch taunted me by manifesting on my upper arm.

I grunted slightly in frustration, only to realize that I was losing this test of willpower. I had to ignore these urges to soothe my discomfort, and just let myself relax.

" _Alright,_ " I eventually heard Milano say. Immediately, I let out a breath, opened my eyes, and shifted my position slightly. " _I imagine clearing your mind entirely is easier said than done?_ " she asked in a slightly teasing tone.

" **Heh, yeah,** " I answered with a chuckle. " **I guess thinking about nothing makes you rather itchy.** "

" _Minor physical discomforts are usually the first obstacle in this exercise. You'll find that the more you practice, the more easily your mind tunes out those nuisances. If you are are ready, you may go again._ "

Gesturing in the affirmative, I once again shifted myself into a comfortable position and closed my eyes. It wasn't long before I felt the familiar discomforts begin to manifest, but expecting it I had enough discipline this time to not let it distract me. Instead, I focused on the soothing aura that I felt Milano projecting. It was very similar to the feeling she was radiating when I was on the verge of having a panic attack the prior day. When I first experienced it, it felt manipulative, like she was using it to try to keep control of the situation. After having some time to talk with her, though, I found myself feeling less perturbed by it.

'Wait, I should be trying to clear my mind,' I thought to myself. The instruction was to empty my thoughts, and I was now realizing how easy it was for them to wander. But… would focusing on not thinking also be counter-productive? It felt oxymoronic, if anything.

I wondered if Sonchar was having just as difficult a time with his physical task as I was with my mental one. Then again, his wasn't purely physical, since he was also learning about ways to incorporate teamwork into our outings. And when we were both finished, he would have to bring me up to the speed to the best of his ability, but what did I have to share? I doubted Sonchar had any practical use for these meditations. At the least, I could let him know that he was completely wrong about the 'oooooohm'ing he seemed to think I would be doing.

I chuckled at that recollection, then immediately stifled it. Why was it so difficult to think about nothing? The more I tried and failed, the more frustrated I became with myself. And the more irritated I was, the more difficult clearing my mind proved to be. Milano must have picked up on this, because she ended the session then.

" _You may open your eyes._ "

" **Sorry…** " I grumbled as I obliged. " **This is more difficult than I thought it'd be.** "

" _There is nothing to apologize for,_ " she tried to reassure. " _Simple as the task may seem, it is only natural that your mind would focus on all manner of things. I would even guess while tuning out your thoughts, you questioned the paradoxical nature of the exercise._ "

" **That… did come to mind, yes,** " I answered, surprised at the accurateness of her observation. " **Will I be trying again?** "

" _Not at this moment,_ " she answered after a moment of contemplation. " _I believe it would be wise to take a break._ "

'So that I wouldn't keep frustrating myself,' I finished for her in my mind. But she was probably right. While Milano was understanding about my failure, or at least tactful explaining what I did wrong, I was certainly hard enough on myself for the two of us. "So, what will I be doing in the meantime?"

" _You may relax for the time being. Or if there is anything on your mind that you wish to share, I am always willing to listen._ "

The idea of simply resting did sound appealing, but I imagined that I would be doing plenty of that in the next few days. However, there _was_ something on my mind that perhaps she would be able to explain. Something that had been bothering me since the morning huddle. I was hesitant to bring it up when I recalled the anxiousness I felt during that moment, but I figured Milano would likely be able to slake my curiosity.

" **There was something I was wondering if you could explain to me? This morning, during our briefing, Rowkin told us that something called a 'Time Gear,' I think, was stolen from somewhere. Do you know about that?** "

" _I am aware of that event, yes._ "

Waiting a moment for her to elaborate, I realized I'd have to prod her. "Do you… know what a Time Gear is?"

" _A Time Gear is an artifact that maintains the flow of time in the region where it is located. There are several of them that have been spread throughout the world after the events that caused the distortion of time and space, each of them heavily guarded._ "

I recalled Rowkin mentioning earlier that the flow of time in the region had all but frozen, so I wasn't surprised to learn about the their purpose. " **Who guards them?** "

" _It is not information widely shared,_ " she eventually answered. " _As you can imagine from recent news, the whereabouts of the Time Gears are kept hidden from the masses. As for their defenses, I could not say even if I was privy to that information. All I can say is that it would take either an overwhelming force or an immensely skilled covert operator to penetrate or bypass the defenses. Seeing as there have been no reports on the culprit or culprits themselves, nor any casualties, I believe it is safe to assume it is the latter case._ "

So, there was no information on who it was that stole the Time Gear. Either the thief was as skilled as she seemed to think, or the gears weren't quite so well guarded after all. I figured the former was more likely the case this time, as I felt there was a little more she knew than what she was sharing. I decided not to press her on that, seeing as she made it clear that she would not share that knowledge. Still, there was one other thing I was curious about that she had not explained. " **So, if time stopped in the area, how did the thief manage to get out of the region?** "

" _I'm afraid I do not know. I can only presume that the Time Gear protects the one holding it from the effects of the distortion. Up until now, nobody has ever dared to tamper with the Time Gears, though now I fear that others may feel emboldened to try to do the same._ "

" **What would happen if more were to be taken?** "

A familiar pause from the bird followed my question, one that I had begun to associate with anxious anticipation. " _It… is difficult to say. What I do know is that if enough of them are disturbed, the flow of time would continue to destabilize, spreading from region to region, until the entire world is engulfed in a familiar catastrophe. One I pray we never have to relive._ "

The way she spoke made it seem like she herself had lived through the events she was alluding to. Not only that, the soothingness she was projecting began to fade, and was replaced by a creeping feeling of dread, causing a shiver to run up my spine. Perhaps realizing this, she closed her eyes, and then the projections faded away entirely. Letting out a breath, I averted my gaze to the ground in front of me.

" _Please forgive me,_ " she apologized after noticing my avoided eye contact. " _As you likely guessed, those events in the past are not the most pleasant memories for anyone who lived through them. Most Pokémon are fortunate that they were born after things had begun to stabilize. Yet for many of us, the consequences are still felt to this day._ "

" **I… understand,** " I said, though not entirely truthfully.

Her descriptions of the history she had lived through were far too vague for me to make any sense of. All I could piece together was that the disasters had occurred long enough ago that most of the Pokémon living today were fortunate enough to have been born after the world had settled down and returned to a peaceful state. I wanted to press her for more information, to learn more about what exactly had caused the first distortion of time and the consequences that followed. I decided, however, that it would perhaps be best not to ask her to relive those memories, at least not when the recent theft was still so fresh in her mind.

I couldn't help but feel that my questions were what led to her current distress, even if I had no way of knowing how heavily recent events were weighing on her. Though it wasn't much, the least I could do would be to steer the conversation in a lighter direction. It wasn't as if I was going to have any luck clearing my thoughts in the current mood anyway. Thinking about what I could say, my mind returned to when I spoke with Nero earlier.

" **So, uh, Nero told me you've been teaching him to speak human?** " I mentally cringed at the awkwardness of the transition, but it was the best I could do.

" _Indeed,_ " she thankfully responded. " _It is something I work on with him when we have time. Unfortunately, through no fault of my son's, it has not been the quickest process._ "

" **How long would it normally take?** " I asked.

" _Hmm…_ " she somehow muttered her projection, and I decided not to question it. " _It would depend on the species itself, as well as how exposed they are to others speaking. When I was with my trainer many years ago, I was able to pick up on it rather quickly, perhaps a couple weeks, as most Psychic types tend to do. However, that was with constant interactions around humans and a developing team, an advantage Nero unfortunately does not have._ "

" **Do you think…** " I began to ask hesitantly. She tilted her head slightly, allowing me to continue. " **Would it be possible for me to learn Pokémon Common the same way?** "

" _I will admit, I had considered that possibility after our conversation yesterday._ " Somehow, that didn't surprise me. " _However, with your mind translating our language directly to your mind, it would be a much more complicated process. You mentioned the only instances where you were not able to understand anybody were when you were suffering through severe mental exhaustion or when your head was aching after hearing a piercing screech. I imagine neither situation would be suitable for expanding your knowledge._ "

I nodded in agreement, not wishing to ever experience either of those scenarios again if I could help it.

" _The only other option to learn at a quick pace would be to find some way to 'deactivate,' for lack of a better term, your mind from translating Common._ "

" **Is that something I could just do?** " I asked skeptically. " **And if I did… Would I be able to turn it back on?** "

" _I do not know. Your ability is not something I have ever seen before, so I do not have a definitive, reassuring answer. Therefore, it would be up to you to decide if you wanted to take that risk._ "

This time, it was my turn to deliberate on my answer. The chance to be able to speak for myself and not have to rely on my partner was a very tempting offer. Yet, I wondered how long it would take for me to learn to speak coherently. Milano did mention that being in constant contact with others speaking, Pokémon were able to pick up on language quickly. Would it work the same for me, though? I had some recollections, as frustratingly vague as they were, of my humanity, so I worried that my mind would not be able to adapt to the speech in quite the same way. And then, how would I possibly explain a blatant change in my behavior to my guildmates when I would suddenly not be able to understand them? My mental link with Sonchar only worked one way, so he would not be able to translate anything said to me, so I would be limited to non-verbal communication with my partner. Our current story about my condition was suspicious enough; there was no way that we could reasonably explain this phenomenon.

" **No,** " I answered with a shake of my head to reinforce the point. " **I would rather not take the chance.** "

Though I didn't elaborate on my reasoning, she still nodded in understanding. " _I expected as much. There is, however, one more option that might work._ "

" **There is?** " I perked up.

" _It would still be a slower process, but I believe it would at least eliminate the risk of losing your ability._ " My eyes widened once her mental voice suddenly changed to one that sounded very similar to the garbled noise I heard Nero speak the previous day. " _Am I correct that you did not understand that?_ " she then asked in her "human" voice.

A shake of my head was my answer.

" _Then, that is how I can teach you, if you are interested._ _Much like how I teach my son, I can speak to you in human, and then translate it in Pokémon Common. In time, you should be able to pick up on it much the same._ "

" **You would really be willing to work with me on that?** " I asked, a bit overwhelmed by everything. " **You've done a lot for me already... I don't know if I could ask anymore of you.** "

" _I assure you that it is of no trouble. However, if it soothes your conscious, you could perhaps help me in teaching Nero._ "

" **With learning the human language?** " I asked.

" _Indeed. This would be mutually beneficial with both you and my son present, and may speed up the process on both accounts._ "

Considering her offer, I felt a lot better about the arrangement. I did not much care for the feeling of owing somebody, so it certainly helped me to know that I could also assist in her son's learning. I somehow got the feeling that Nero would pick up on human faster than I would on Pokémon, but at least that would give me someone else that I could speak to on an even level without having to ask Sonchar to act as my mouth piece. " **Okay,** " I answered. " **I think that will work.** "

" _Very well,_ " Milano nodded in acknowledgment. " _I believe your Guildmaster has granted you three days off of your guild work, so that will give us the next two days to dedicate if we begin tomorrow. After that, we will simply have to work within the timeframe your guild work will allow. As for the moment, I believe we should get back to your current lesson, wouldn't you say?_ "

" **Yeah,** " I chuckled, " **we probably should.** "

With our plans for the next couple days made, she had me return to my training. I would like to say that I was able to reach that trance, but each session would result in its own mental distraction, this time including my thoughts about the near future. At the very least, I was pleased that I was able to ignore the physical discomforts without much difficulty, so that was a step in the right direction—or at least that was what Milano assured me. After the third attempt, she decided that was enough practice for the day.

" _I will see you tomorrow morning around the same time,_ " she said as she sent me on my way.

" **I'll see you then. And thank you again for everything,** " I said with a grateful smile.

" _You are welcome, Kamon. Send my regards to Sonchar and your guild, if you would?_ "

" **Will do,** " I obliged, after which I began to make my way back to town. As I reached the bridge, I saw Nero fly overhead as he made his way back to their home. Either his timing was impeccable, or Milano must have called to him telepathically. I decided not to pay it much thought, and continued on toward the dojo where Sonchar was spending his day. Seeing that the door to the structure was open, I decided to peek in to see if I could spot my friend inside.

Much like the guild, the first room in the dojo was large and circular, with a couple halls leading to lower levels into the ground. I didn't have to wonder what those halls lead to, as Sonchar, along with several other Pokémon, were all standing at attention. Their focus was on a stout reptilian Pokémon, who wielded a femur-shaped club and had an outer skull that resembled the intimidating structure decorating the door I was spying through.

"That will end today's lesson," I heard the dojo master state. Based on the town's naming conventions, I presumed he was called Marowak. It appeared that Nero was not the only one with serendipitous timing. "I expect to see improvement in your performances tomorrow. And," he cast his piercing gaze at a small but similar looking Pokémon that stood next to Sonchar, "if I hear any more jokes about walking around with my 'bone in my hand,' so help me I will personally throw you into the mouth of the Sharpedo Bluff."

Not expecting… that, I had to suppress a snort at the comment, as did a few of the students. Poor Sonchar looked awkward as the apparent offender merely crossed her arms, and gave an unimpressed huff. I had no idea what came over me, but I couldn't help myself from chiming in on the situation. " _I guess the joke's on him, since you used to live there, huh?_ "

Clearly startled, Sonchar looked around until he spotted me outside as I wore a smirk on my face. The grin faded, as the other Pokémon around him followed his eyes' movement. With all their attention turning to me, I all but jumped away from the doorway. I then quickly moved myself to the side of the building outside, deciding to wait for my partner where I wouldn't further embarrass him, along with myself.

It was only a few minutes later when I heard a series of footsteps leaving the guild. A few of the Pokémon chuckled as they passed me and headed into town. Whether or not they were amused by my little display, I chose not to pay it much mind, and instead waited for my partner to arrive.

"Hey, Kamon," the aforementioned Chimchar called to me. He was walking side by side with the Pokémon that I guessed was the one that made the quip about the instructor. I then noticed that this one was holding a club very similar to the instructor's, and apparently had much more of a sense of humor about the implication than he did.

"Hey punk, you gonna answer him?" the Pokémon asked in a stern, female voice.

" **Wh-** " I started to respond, only to immediately squelch myself. " _What?_ "

"I was, uh, just asking how your visit with Milano was?" Sonchar answered in a slightly nervous tone. I must have gotten lost in my observation when he asked the first time, so I made sure to answer quickly this time.

" _Sorry, got a little distracted. But it went alright, I guess. The medita-_ "

"Earth to Riolu!" the stranger interrupted and received an annoyed glare from me. "Your head in the clouds there, aura boy?"

"Oh, he was answering me," Sonchar quickly jumped in, likely noticing my patience starting to wear. "Remember? I mentioned earlier that he can only speak to me telepathically."

She gave me a scrutinizing glance as she seemed to recall, before responding, "Oh right. He's that mute you been babysitting around here."

"Hey, he's not-" Sonchar started to defend, before she cut him off.

"Ah come on, I'm just messing with him. Don't tell me he's got a stick up there like the old man." She pointed her free hand back at the dojo behind them, clearly comparing me to Marowak. "Anyway, I've got things to do, so I'm outta here."

"Oh, uh, alright," Sonchar responded. "Well, thanks for helping me out with my training today." I raised a brow at the thought of her being helpful, but decided not to voice it. "See you during tomorrow's lessons?"

"Eh, dunno," she shrugged indifferently. "Depends if the 'master's' gonna keep being a stick-in-the-mud. Guess we'll see what happens. Later, pipsqueak."

"See ya, Kara."

When she passed by, she roughly nuggied my head, bursting out laughing when I batted her hand away and not even looking back to meet my glare. Thankfully, her steps didn't slow in her amusement, because she was seriously getting on my nerves.

" _She's a real treat, isn't she?_ " I rhetorically asked after another breath.

Sonchar gave a nervous chuckle before he responded. "She's not so bad. I mean, she has a weird sense of humor, but she was a lot of help with my training."

That she was helpful in any way was hard for me to believe, considering her obnoxious first impression. Still, I decided I would take his word for it, since they were on friendly enough terms to leave the dojo side-by-side. I also decided I wouldn't dwell on that fact, and instead inquired about his training. " _Speaking of which, how did that go?_ "

"It went alright, I think," Sonchar answered as we started walking towards the guild. "Marowak had us go through some trial dungeons in teams, and I was paired with Kara."

" _Dungeons?_ " I repeated in disbelief, considering that we had only been with our respective trainers no more than a few hours. " _You guys had enough time to travel to a dungeon?_ "

"Oh no, the dungeons are actually under the dojo," Sonchar explained. "They're pretty weird, too. The first couple floors are filled with pretty weak Pokémon, but they get a lot tougher the further you go in."

I quirked a brow as he explained, before a question sprang to mind. " _What would happen if any of the ferals got out of there?_ "

Sonchar shrugged. "I don't think it's ever happened, but I guess Marowak would take care of them? He is really, really tough."

" _Tougher than the Guildmaster, you think?_ " I smirked at the image of those two conflicting personalities squaring off.

"I wouldn't know about that," Sonchar chucked, equally amused at the thought. "I've never seen either of them get really serious, but it'd probably be a scary scene. Anyway, we didn't really spend a lot of time learning about strategy, since Marowak wanted to see what we could do. That'll be what we work on tomorrow. But how did your day go?"

" _It was… an experience, I guess,_ " I answered, grateful that Sonchar's new friend wasn't there to interrupt me this time." _There was definitely a lot more sitting and talking than your training. But I'm afraid to report that no_ **oooooohm'ing** _took place._ "

"Oh, be quiet!" Sonchar stuck out his tongue and gave me a gentle shove in response. Though slightly caught off guard, I couldn't help but let out a snort at his playfully indignant response. "But that was a nice trick with your voices there."

" _That reminds me, Milano might actually be able to teach me how to speak your language._ "

"Really? She can do that?"

" _I hope so. She says it may be difficult. But at the same time, she asked if I could help her in teaching Nero how to speak human._ "

"That's good for you," Sonchar responded with a bit less enthusiasm than I would have expected. "That means you won't need me to translate everything for you, huh?"

Oh, so that was why he wasn't showing much excitement. I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised, considering the jealousy he was trying not to show when I was sharing with him the conversation Milano and I had the previous day. He must have thought that I wouldn't need him anymore if I no longer required his help just to communicate.

Thinking back to the jab I threw at myself to lighten the mood this morning, I tried a similar tactic to cheer up my friend. " _It will probably be a long process before I can actually hold a conversation. She doesn't know if I can 'deactivate' my mental translator without me losing the ability, so she's not sure how that will affect things. Besides, I probably won't be talking much anyway, with how much a pain in the ass half the guild members are._ " Even though he didn't vocally express his agreement, Sonchar still couldn't fully hold back a giggle, nor could I help but smile when my efforts had prevailed.

Our conversation died down once we reached the guild, after which we reported our progress to the Lieutenant. We were given the rest of the afternoon off, and we spent our time walking around town and then lounging at the beach. Chet joined us after returning from his outing with Daisy, seemingly in high spirits at being allowed to get some on the field experience after his lackluster performance during our training. He was rather modest initially, claiming that it was Daisy's expertise that got them through their mission, but she was quick to praise his contributions, which brought a smile to the Bidoof's face.

After listening to the recount of their day, Daisy split off from us to spend the rest of her night with Larry, leaving Sonchar to recount our own separate trainings. He described his time in the dojo and with the other students, namely his new friend, whose species I learned was referred to as Cubone. To my surprise, Chet mentioned he wouldn't mind getting to meet her, though I decided not to voice that.

Sonchar of course gave significantly fewer details about my side of things, only including the bits about the meditation itself and leaving out the bits about my future lessons. As I listened to his shortened recounting, I realized I really had absolutely no idea how I was going to break it to the other guildmates that I could suddenly speak their language. What would I even tell them? As far as they knew, I was able to understand their words perfectly well on my own, as they were all unaware of my mental translator. And it wasn't as if I had mentioned some sort of injury that would have prevented me from speaking that I suddenly overcame. I recalled Sonchar mentioning that I was shy when I first learned about my telepathy's limitations, but I somehow doubted that excuse would work after all this time.

I was once again pulled away from my thoughts by my partner, who thankfully didn't bring attention to the consistency of that habit this time. It was near dinner time, so the three of us headed back to the guild. Dinner was pretty uneventful; apparently, me sitting on my butt all day wasn't exactly exciting dinner conversation, not that I minded. The less questions they asked, the less Sonchar was put in a position where he had to tell half-truths. They were more interested in how badly Chet managed to screw up, only to be surprised—and a couple of them seemingly disappointed, much to my and even Sonchar's aggravation—that he performed adequately. Poor Chet was overwhelmed by the praise, some of which seemed a tad patronizing from the more experienced guildmates, but genuine nonetheless.

Once the conversation started to dwindle, we all headed off to our respective quarters. Sonchar and I both had a lot to look forward to tomorrow, so he was quick to turn in for the night. That left me once again on my own in the darkness with nothing but my thoughts after the long day. Instead of sulking, though, I decided to make use of the time, and practice my meditation on my own. The guild was quiet and void of distractions, and I wouldn't have to feel Milano's gaze on me as I tried to center myself. That did leave me without her soothing projections, which admittedly did help ease the tension and allow me to relax. I would instead have to make due with what was available to me.

With a soft gaze, I watched my partner as he slept, his faint snores being the only sound other than the nightly wind. Following the rhythm of his quiet breaths, I released another one of my own as I sat myself on my bed in position, legs crossed and arms resting on my lap. Focused only on the sounds of his breathing, I let all other thoughts drift away until my mind was truly empty. The sensation didn't last very long, however, maybe only a few minutes. But even so, a slight smile crept its way onto my face when I knew that I had finally reached that trance.

Perhaps I could have tried again, to see if I could maintain that euphoric emptiness, but I decided to simply enjoy the feeling of success. Better not to ruin the moment if I was unable to recapture it, I thought. Instead, I laid myself down and allowed my eyes to rest. Well… I would have, if not for the footsteps I heard approaching our room. Sitting up quickly, I looked to the doorway, only to see Chet lethargically walking towards where I was sitting.

" **Chet** -" I said before closing my mouth. What was he doing? He didn't even seem to be awake, his eyes appearing to be lidded as his forepaws reached the edge of my bed. I could only step off and stare in sheer disbelief as he welcomed himself onto my own bed without preamble.

" _What just happened?_ " I projected to the void as I was left with nowhere to sleep. 'Guess I'll be getting some more practice in after all…'

* * *

Author's Note: Please check my profile for some special shout-outs!


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